The Senshi Games
by Gingersoup
Summary: "It was decreed that each year, the various sectors would offer up in tribute, one young man and woman to fight to the death in a pageant of honor, courage and sacrifice." Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha, residents of Sector 3 and two very promising young ninja training to become ANBU, are chosen for the Senshi Games. But since it's a Quarter Quell, there're a twist to these games.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:** This fic takes place in an alternate Naruto universe, where Danzo and The Order have been in power for 60 years. 50 years ago, a rebellious organization called the Akutsuki rallied up and infiltrated the Capital. They attempted to crush The Order and Danzo. Sadly, the Akatsuki were not successful, and as punishment Danzo forced some new laws into place for all 12 Sectors. "And so it was decreed that each year, the various sectors would offer up in tribute, one young man and woman to fight to the death in a pageant of honor, courage and sacrifice."_

_Full cover: 25 . media . tumblr tumblr_m72fyyMMc11qzzzzlo1_ _

* * *

"Sector 3, welcome! Happy 50th Senshi Games and Happy second Quarter Quell!" Our escort's voice booms over the speakers, causing several of us to flinch. I think I even see a twelve year old burst into tears. I can't help the small, amused smile that tugs on my lips. I remember my first reaping.

"It's nice to see all of these bright and smiling faces on such an early morning," He continues, his coal black eyes sweeping over us.

Our escort's name is Sai and he's probably the most plastic, fake person I've seen. Each year it's the exact same thing: He welcomes us, the same old propaganda video plays on the screen towering above the stage, and he explains everything as if we haven't been forced to live and breathe Senshi Games since we could toddle. The only thing that changes each year is the girl and the boy chosen and shipped off like cattle to be slaughtered for all to watch.

"I don't know whose faces he's looking at because they're definitely not ours," My best friend Ayumi mutters next to me and I laugh, but twist it into a cough when I see an ANBU turn its head toward me.

"Be serious," I try to scold her, but I can't even manage to bring myself to be serious. We've never been too concerned with reaping day, there are several thousand of teens in the village, so the odds are definitely in our favor. Plus, both of our parents are ANBU members, so we're pretty well off financially. We've never had to trade a slip of our name that goes into the final drawing for any supplies or food. I know I only have five names in that big glass ball and I'm sure there are some kids who have 30 by my age. I feel sorry for them.

"Sakura Haruno, I've never seen you serious a day in your life," She whispers back and I shush her, but smile knowingly. The screen starts up and I motion for her to pay attention to it.

"War, terrible war. Widows, orphans, a motherless child. This was the uprising that rocked our land," Comes a dramatic voice as several images of burning villages, sick children, and rows upon rows of gravestones fade onto the screen. The man comes back, "Twelve sectors rebelled against the country that fed them, loved them, protected them. Brother turned on brother until nothing remained. This is all thanks to the Akatsuki, a rebellious organization." The red cloud insignia comes onto the screen and zooms out onto a flag, a woman screams and blood splatters across it and the voice continues, "This group was gaining popularity and members rapidly until a spark was struck, creating a war between The Order and the Akatsuki."

"The Order wanted a peaceful, safe, and happy world while the Akatsuki wanted a chaotic and anarchist one. And then came the peace, hard fought, sorely won. A people rose up from the ashes and a new era was born," The voice continues on and I stifle a yawn, why did this have to be so early in the morning? I love sleep, so I always attempt to sleep in until the last possible moment. Most of the time my parents have to drag me off of my bed just to get me to crack open an eye. Since I slept in I didn't have time to do my hair and I had to hastily throw my pink hair up into a simple bun held in place by chopsticks. It's funny because the rest of me looks elegant and beautiful. I'm wearing my mother's traditional red dress with our family insignia on the back, the silky material hugs me in all the right places and I- for once- allow myself to feel attractive.

When you go to a school for gifted ninja, training to become an elite ANBU to fight at Danzo's side, there's really no room to worry about petty things like appearances.

"But freedom has a cost. When the Akatsuki and the traitors were defeated, we swore as a nation we would never know this treason again. And so it was decreed, that each year, the various sectors would offer up in tribute, one young man and woman, to fight to the death in a pageant of honor, courage and sacrifice." The dark, dreadful images of war are replaced with cheesy angles of victors, standing above the rest of the world, white and blue dominate the screen. "The lone victor, bathed in riches, would serve as a reminder of our generosity and our forgiveness," He says and my gaze wanders to our own victors sitting on the stage, all whopping two of them. We have Tsunade, a well-known, gambling, drunk woman and Kakashi Hatake, the ever attractive, mysterious, and seemingly unreachable man. Neither of them look very interested, considering how Tsunade is throwing back her fifth cup of sake since it started and Kakashi's revealed eye has not moved from the book in his hands.

"This is how we remember our past. This is how we safeguard our future. The risk is great, but the reward is even greater. Happy Senshi Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor," It concludes and the video comes to a close, ending with a small text on the bottom of the screen: _this message is approved by Danzo and The Order._

My feet grow suddenly cold as Sai takes his place once more in front of the microphone, "Now, it's time for the drawing!" My stomach flips and I realize that this is the first time I've been nervous all day, five slips in that glass ball have my name in them. I feel myself beginning to shake when a hand gently grabs a hold of mine, I look and find Ayumi gripping my hand as if she senses my nervousness. She squeezes it and I squeeze back just as the escort reaches the glass ball. I know I'm being silly, I won't be chosen. She lets go and I hold my breath, praying it's not a twelve year old like last year.

"And the young woman chosen for the honor of representing Sector 3 is," He says and reaches in, he digs around for a bit and pulls out a slip of paper. Here we go.

"Sakura Haruno," He states and looks expectantly out into the crowd. I stare at the stage, uncomprehending. Wait, what? My name was just called? My hands shake terribly and I can't move. This isn't right. My name was only in there five times!

"Sakura?" He asks and my name tumbles throughout the big space. People start whispering, several faces turn my way if they know who I am and I feel someone push me roughly forward. I stumble and try to collect myself, putting one foot in front of the other.

As I feel my feet walking me forward I realize that this is real. This is happening. I look over my shoulder at Ayumi, who's as white as a ghost. I can't stand the crushed look on her face and I turn back around. Like flipping a switch, I turn on my ROOT training and take a deep breath. No emotions. From here on out, I need to be the hunter, not the hunted.

I make my way up to the stage, ignoring all of the people looking at me. Their pitiful gazes burn the back of my head. I hate knowing what it feels like to be on this end of the stare. All of these years, it was me giving pitiful looks to the unlucky tribute.

Now I am the unlucky tribute.

"Sakura Haruno!" Sai bellows, lifting my hand above my head when I'm all the way onto the stage, "The female tribute for Sector 3!"

No one claps, unsurprisingly, no one ever does. This silence isn't just a stubborn silence, I notice, it's a surprised silence. Ninja are almost never chosen for the games, considering how there are so little of us compared to the normal population and we never have to purchase tessera. My escort isn't even fazed, he drops my hand and continues onto the next tribute. The stage lights are hot and blinding against my face as I look out into the large crowd of kids. I squint and see the black cloaks of the ANBU standing at attention, their animal masks shrouding their faces from view. I suddenly and desperately wish that they didn't have to wear masks. I want to see my parents. I want to see my dad give me a reassuring smile. I want to see my mom give me a playful wink.

"The young male who has the honor of representing Sector 3 is," He says, dragging my gaze back to the second glass ball of names. Whoever he pulls is someone who has to kill me. Who I have to kill. A part of me wishes for a young, shaking civilian, just so I don't have to worry about them. The other part of me scolds myself, no civilian could survive this, hardly of them ever do.

"Sasuke Uchiha," He announces and several feminine gasps erupt throughout the crowd and I barely manage to stifle one myself. Sasuke Uchiha? Just the most attractive boy to ever grace Sector 3's streets? He doesn't even hesitate as he strongly and surely makes his way up to the stage. I even see a smirk on his lips.

Not only is he the most attractive, he's also the top of the class at the ANBU Academy. I've seen him fight once, during a school competition. He's silent, fast, and deadly. He also has Chidori, an extremely powerful lighting technique. In fact, the only other Ninja skilled enough to have mastered it is Kakashi Hatake himself.

Whispers and complaints bubble up from the crowd, mostly from the women. Two shinobi this year and one of them is the famous Uchiha? Sai has to raise his hands and shout for people to pay attention.

"Your tributes for the 50th annual Senshi Games!" He bellows and we stand by his sides, both emotionless and ready to kill. Or, I hope that's how I seem, because honestly my legs feel like jelly.

"Now shake hands," He orders us, smiling his fake smile and we turn towards each other. We shake hands and I feel dread washing over me. This person in front of me isn't just a pretty face, he's a lethal murderer. I know I've officially gone bonkers when I find myself smirking. The irony is terrible: The only time I get to touch my long time crush is when we're getting prepared to kill each other.

And the funny thing is, I almost had a chance at winning until he joined.

. . .

"Sakura!" My mother cries, opening the door. My father follows in close behind her. I stand up to greet them, pushing my emotions down. I had let myself be at ease while I was alone in this stifling sitting room, waiting for my guests to arrive. They're both still in their ROOT uniforms, minus the cloak and mask. My mom starts talking first.

"Sakura, listen to me. You're one of the best in your class. You can win," She says and I nod, her stern eyes soften and they search my face and she gathers my hands in her own. I'm surprised at the tender contact. It's not that I've never really felt it from her before, but it's been a while. I think that they've been trying to toughen me up these past few years.

"Please, please try," She pleads, voice rough and tears in her eyes. I blink in surprise, I've never seen my mom cry. My dad isn't a different story, he looks so desperate and helpless.

"I will. I'll try," I choke out, my own emotions becoming too much for me. I can't cry, there are bound to be cameras and the Capital will soak up my pink face. If the other tributes see I've been crying I'll be pinned as an easy target, a weakling.

"Remember your training, don't hesitate," My dad tells me and I nod. "If you ever get in a tight spot, just use your strength," He continues, looking like he can't say much more without breaking. I swallow, looking at my parents. This is the first time I've seen them so upset. My mom drops my hands and she swiftly pulls me into a hug and I hug her back, desperately wanting to cling to her forever.

"We love you," My mom says, voice thick with emotion. It's too much and a few tears spill over and down my cheeks. I break away and wipe at them hastily until they're gone and I've recollected myself. I repeat with my father, resting my head on his chest, breathing in his comforting scent.

"Times up," An ANBU barks and I look at them miserably. I don't want them to go, but we know better than to not listen to orders.

"Here, take this as your token," My father says urgently, as if just remembering. He unclasps his necklace holds it out in front of him. Dangling at the end is a small locket with our family's insignia engraved on it. In the games each tribute is allowed to take one token to represent their family or sector but in actuality most kids bring something to help them remember home.

"But dad, this is yours," I start to reject it but he drops it into my palm and closes my fingers around it. He leans to whisper in my ear, away from the prying eyes of the shrouded ANBU in the doorway.

"Keep it, only open it when you really, truly need it," He tells me and I nod, tears blurring my vision. I didn't know you could open it, I look down at the golden locket. Dad has worn it underneath his uniform for as long as I can remember.

"Okay, let's go," The ROOT member snaps.

"I love you both!" I cry before they're pulled out and the door is slammed roughly behind them. I collapse onto the luxurious couch, breathing deeply. No tears. I try not to think about how that's the last time I'll see them.

I have a lot better odds at surviving than a majority of people since I've spent my whole life training. But then again, I thought my odds were a lot better than the majority with the reaping.

Maybe I need to reassess my outlook on life.

* * *

_Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. This fic is kind of a pain to figure out stuff with, like what kind of technology does that universe have? The Naruto universe is just a place from Kishi's head, not taking place in any specific area or time. So I've decided to just make this a place from my head! _

_There are cameras, televisions, cars, airplanes, and other advanced technology although most of it is in the Capital, considering how the Sectors are poor. You'll see more of it as we progress in the story. _

_OH! Also, Senshi Games = Warrior Games._

_I would LOVE it if you reviewed, but I'm not going to like, send you into an arena to fight to the death with 23 other kids if you don't._


	2. Chapter 2

The only other person to visit me is Ayumi, which I don't mind; I don't really want to see anyone else. When she comes in we rush to each other, arms outstretched. We crush together in a hug and I find myself burying into her long brown hair. She's been my best friend since we were six, she's like the sister I never had. I feel her shaking.

"Are you okay?" She asks into my shoulder and we break apart. I shrug.

"About as okay as I can be," I tell her, offering a sad smile, "Well, you know, considering I'm about to be killed by the number one hunk of Sector 3."

"Don't talk like that," She snaps and I immediately feel bad. Now is not the time to joke. "Sasuke may be strong, but you're also strong. Not a person in the school could beat you in arm wrestling," She reminds me and I snort.

"Yeah, well when the rules change from 'Murder each other' to 'Arm wrestle'… Maybe I'll stand a chance," I say sarcastically and she gives me a stern look with her blue eyes. I stop, once again feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry," I apologize, "I guess I'm just nervous."

"That's fine, but remember Sakura, you can fight, you can heal, and you can use that big head of yours," She says and raps against my large forehead with her knuckles. I yelp and rub my head with my hands, grumbling.

"I'm just trying to tell you," Ayumi says quietly, voice shaking, "Is that you stand a chance. Don't count yourself out."

I nod and that familiar lump forms in my throat, god damn these people, trying to make me cry! Do they want me to look weak to the other tributes?

"I won't," I choke out and we stare at eachother for a few moments before she bursts into tears and falls into my arms.

"I'm… sorry… Sakura," She chokes in between sobs and I stroke her hair. My lip trembles and I find myself looking at the small crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, trying to distract myself from crying.

"I should be strong for you, but it's so hard," She sniffles and pulls away, wiping vigorously at her eyes like I had done not 10 minutes ago.

"Look, Ayumi… If I don't make it ba-" I start but I'm interrupted.

"Don't say goodbye. DON'T. You'll come back, you hear me, Sakura Haruno?" She says fiercely, clutching my forearm tightly. Surprised by her intensity I just nod in response.

"Times up, kid." An ANBU opens the door and steps aside for Ayumi to pass. With one last sad look at me, she disappears through the door and it, once again, slams in my face.

. . .

I'm shoved roughly into a brightly lit, sterile looking room. About seven feet above the ground is a glass covered technical room. A couple of men and women in white lab coats look up at me from their computers, the blue glow reflecting on their protective shades.

"What-" I start but I'm interrupted by the sound of material 's my dress. Someone must have slit it up the back to remove it.

"No!" I cry but it's too late, the silky material is pulled off of me and pools onto the floor. I move to cover myself but I find that I can't move. _This must be some special jutsu._ I grit my teeth as other workers in lab coats swarm me, holding tools and gear. What is this? What are they going to do? I feel incredibly bare underneath their concentrated gazes, even though I'm still in my wrappings.

"Relax," Says one of the men with his hair pulled up into a spiky pony-tail, two scars break the smoothness of his skin on the right side of his face. He approaches me and opens a suitcase to show a small, round device nestled in the black spongy material. In the middle of it is a red and blue yin-yang. I'm sure if I could move my eyebrows would be furrowed in confusion.

"This is a Chakra control device," He continues and moves behind me, "It will make it so you cannot access your chakra at all until it is removed by a specialist like myself." He says and I feel a sharp stab of pain in between my shoulder blades. I want to scream out, but nothing escapes past my gritted teeth. Several, smaller stabs surround the area where- I'm assuming- the chakra control device was sounds follow each stab of pain... Are they drilling into my skin? They must be doing it with special tools because I don't feel blood drip down my back like I expect.

A high pitched sound resounds throughout the room as it's activated and the jutsu holding me in place is released. I fall to the ground, ears still ringing from the offending sound. I land on my hands and knees and gather my dress up into my arms to cover myself. I look at the torn, once smooth material and I feel sad. This dress had been in my family for dozens of years. They could have just asked me to take it off and I would have.

I breathe heavily and look up at the group of specialists, still clutching the dress to my chest. The man who was talking bends down to be eye contact with me, his sharp black eyes captivating. He looks oddly familiar.

"The device is not only for chakra depletion, but also for controlling you. Any ideas or slip-ups, and you will receive quite a nasty shock," He says and stands up, offering me a hand. I hesitantly take it and he pulls me up in front of him. "Every ANBU member has a remote that can shock you at anytime. So don't try anything, okay?"

"Okay," I tell him, closing my eyes and trying to focus on my flow of chakra. "My chakra, it-it isn't there," I say dumbly, opening my eyes back up and looking at my clenching and unclenching fist.

I've always had very good control of my chakra, and most of my abilities come from it; like my healing and my strength. Now that it's gone, I'm back to having the talent of my 12 year old self. I look back up at the man, feeling strangely empty. As I search his face it clicks, he looks just like my classmate, Shikamaru Nara! Their resemblance is uncanny and I feel stupid for not noticing it right away.

"Of course not," A woman with her blonde hair in disarray scoffs, shaking her head as if I'm a stupid child.

"Well, you don't have to worry about me trying anything, Nara-san," I turn to Shikamaru's father, ignoring the rude woman. He looks startled that I know who he is. "I can't do much without it," I remark sadly and his eyes soften and he retrieves a robe for me to cover myself with.

"Goodbye, kid," He calls as I'm escorted out of the room by rough hands, "And good luck!"

. . .

The cameras flash like waves of lights, making my vision spot and I can't help but blink rapidly as we first step out of town hall. Kakashi is in front of us and Tsunade behind us. Sai leads the whole pack and I'm sure he's fake-smiling away for the cameras. Sasuke is to my right and none of us are talking at all.

I miss that cramped sitting room, I find. I was given some clothes from back home that my parents must have brought, because I'm in my normal get-up: a short pink skirt slit up the side with my dark shorts underneath and my zip up red blouse.

I still can't believe they tore the dress. I peek at Sasuke, who's also in a different outfit than what we went into the building with. He must have the chakra controller, too.

I flip my ANBU switch on and I stare past all of the photographers and camera crews, seemingly uncaring. Sasuke is even more stony than me, and manages a murderous glint in his eyes that I can see all the way from here. I wonder how we look: a beautiful man radiating darkness and a pink haired, angry looking school girl. They probably think I'm a joke.

We approach the towering train that's steaming and purring. I notice it's shaped like a bullet and I gingerly make my way up the steps and into the interior. I let myself feel as I look around the room in awe and delight. It's like a palace, everything shimmering red and gold. Mounds and mounds of food line the table and bar.

As everyone shuffles in behind me I watch; Kakashi finds a spot on in the room against a wall to read and Sasuke breezes past me and in through a door that must lead to our compartments. I don't know how the hell he knows that's what they are. For all he knows, he could be going into a broom closet. The idea of a confused and horrified Sasuke knocking over brooms and mops makes me snort and I wander farther into the cabin, my finger tracing along an expensive looking couch.

Now that I notice, everything looks expensive. Even the ceiling! It's decorated in ornate, traditional designs. Sai settles down onto a mat and takes out some scrolls. I shrug and look away, not caring what he's doing.

"Ah!" A woman's burly voice snaps my gaze back up, "Home, sweet home!" She crows and makes her way over to the bar, looking over the alcohol.

"The Capitol rats always get the best," She grumbles and picks a bottle at random, not even bothering to pour herself a glass. I watch as she disappears through the same sliding door that Sasuke had disappeared through. How did that woman even win her games? I can't imagine her fighting, let alone sober.

With nothing better to do and feeling hopelessly alone, I sit on the couch, looking down at my nails and thinking about what I'm going to be thrown into. I wonder what the arena will be like this year. Whatever it is I hope it's not some sort of frozen wasteland. Images of the year they were in the land of snow flash through my head and I shudder. I don't want to freeze to death.

"She used to be strong," Someone says and I look up to the source of the voice: Kakashi. What? Oh, he must be talking about Tsunade. I realize that this is the first time I've ever heard him speak and I fumble for a reply. He snaps his book shut and I jump at the loud noise. I feel stupid, ANBU don't jump at a simple close of a book. He lazily makes his way over to me, assessing me.

"She probably still is, if she would just put down the sake," He continues and I find myself barely processing his words, I'm too busy gaping at him. I can't help it, this is the man known as the _White Fang_, one of the most famous victors of all, having won in just three days. And that's not even the most impressive part, the most impressive part is that he was _twelve_ when he won.

"Let me guess," He says and clasps his hands behind his back, "You don't know how to fight or survive." His assumption makes my eyebrow twitch.

"Why do you say that?" I ask, trying not to let my anger show. A ninja must always control her emotions.

"Pink hair, cute face, petite stature," He lists off on his fingers and watches me expectantly. He walks away with a crinkle of his eye and and a wave of the hand when I don't say anything. His back is turned to me when I take a deep breath.

"You should know better than to judge a book by its cover," I say darkly and in a flash I pull the chopsticks from my hair and send them flying his way. He stops and ducks just in the nick of time. The chopsticks stick into the kitchen wall behind him, hitting with two satisfying thuds. He turns to look at me, visible eye wide. My pink hair falls down around me, my emerald eyes narrowing, "It could get you killed."

. . .

I flop down onto my temporary bed groaning, what was I thinking, attacking my mentor? That guy gets me sponsors who could potentially save my life. The soft comforter sinks around me and I stretch out like a cat, savoring the feel of my joints popping. Well, if there's one good thing about these games, it's definitely the luxuries we get. Even just this room is nicer than any of the houses back in Sector 3.

I flip over onto my side and my mind wanders to my parents, probably at home by now. Are they worried about me? Of course they are. Should they be? Probably. A certain, handsome face fills my mind and I close my eyes. How could this happen? Both Sasuke and I are at the top of our class and looking at a bright futures in ANBU.

You think they'd let someone like Sasuke off the hook, considering his skill and his promise… Or maybe, that's the reason they're letting him go through with this! It's all one big game to them, and throwing in a deadly assassin like Sasuke is bound to make the show a little more interesting. There are almost never shinobi in the games, and during the odd year there are, the ninja wins.

I think I'm over thinking things. The system isn't rigged. It's fair and random for everyone, even us. But really, two shinobi from the same sector?

A knock at my door makes me sit up and sigh, I don't want to face a lecture about attacking a mentor. When I open the door, an apology already spewing from my mouth, I find that it's not Kakashi or even Tsunade. It's Sasuke.

He just stares expectantly at me and I blink, surprised. "Hi?" I try, he just shakes his head and motions down the hall.

"We're needed in the cabin," He says curtly and walks away, leaving me confused and oddly excited. That was the first time he ever looked at me. Ever. And I've been going to school with him since we were 12.

When I get to the cabin Sasuke, Kakashi, Sai and Tsunade are congregated near the sitting area, obviously waiting for me to arrive.

"Well, here's the princess!" Tsunade slurs and I feel my face burn. I'm not a princess. "Ready to see your competition?" She asks me, clearly not waiting for an answer because she presses a button on her chair and footage of the reapings start. I settle down into a plush armchair, eyes never leaving the screen. This'll be important stuff, considering these are the people I'll be facing.

It starts out with two Capital commentators: Jiraiya Gamma, the host, and Itachi Uchiha, this year's head game maker. Now that I think about it, don't Sasuke and Itachi have the same last name? It's not uncommon to have clans split in between Sectors, but to have an Uchiha in the Capital is really something. The first minute is filled with chatting about how special this year will be since it's the 2nd quarter quell. I feel my eyebrows furrow when I remember that, but what makes this year special?

"Well, Jiraiya-san, that will be revealed after the reapings," Itachi tells the white haired host, who had just asked the same question that I had.

"Now, starting with Sector 1!" He says and his face is swept away to be replaced with Sector one's town square, which even though ours is in okay condition, theirs is even nicer.

"Ladies first!" She coos, plucks a name from the glass ball, and unfolds it.

"Hinata Hyuuga!" She calls and- much like sai did- searches out into the crowd.

A pale, ashen looking girl steps out of her crowd and down toward the stage, fists clenched. She's quite beautiful, I notice, with pearly eyes and deep purple hair. She doesn't cry or shake like I expect someone like her to. Instead she looks focused and determined, much like how I felt.

"Now for the males," She continues after fluttering around Hinata for a bit. Before she can even reach into the ball a voice echoes through the square and heads turn.

"I volunteer as tribute!" He calls and steps out onto the path to the stage. Their creepy looking escort doesn't even bat an eye, she smiles widely.

"Excellent! A volunteer!" She coos. A volunteer? That almost never happens. Who would volunteer to die a televised, gruesome death? Apparently this boy. As soon as the camera zooms in on him it's evident that they're related. They have the same pale skin and pearly eyes. He's introduced as Neji Hyuuga and they shake hands, both grim and emotionless.

Sector two rolls around and I'm shocked again at how similar to ours it looks, it's in the fire country like us, but right on the border. The girl chosen is a petite brunette, her hair pulled up into two tight buns. She remains calm as she mounts the stage, mouth in a tight line. Her name is Tenten.

"Naruto Uzumaki!" She calls for the male tribute and the whole square seems to break out into excited and horrified conversation. Why are they so excited? When I see him it really doesn't explain anything, he looks like a happy teenage boy. Wait, happy? He grins madly as he practically sprints up to the stage.

He unceremoniously rips the microphone from the escort's grasp, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki!" He proclaims and I see several people in the crowd wince, even Tenten can't help but squeeze her eyes shut in embarrassment. "And I am going to win!" He calls and several ANBU tackle and restrain him, taking the microphone back. I can't help but to laugh as he exclaims, "Hey! What did I do? What did I do?"

What a strange guy… I like him.

When it's our Sector's turn I feel my stomach flip; I hope my attempts to be emotionless pay off.

"Sakura Haruno," Sai says and the memory of it makes me wince, "Sakura?" He calls again and the camera zooms in on the back of my head as I stumble forward. My palm meets my forehead, great; you can't miss the look of shock on my face before I cover it up. I groan and Tsunade reaches over and pats me on the head.

"It's okay, Princess, lots of tributes are afraid," She tells me, not helping at all.

"Yeah, but for some reason none of_ these _tributes are," I snap. She just shrugs and takes another swig from her bottle.

Sasuke's name is called and you see several girls in the crowd look towards him, devastated. He practically oozes confidence as he mounts the stage. I was right when I guessed what we looked like, because we look like a gorgeous dark angel and an angry looking school girl. Curse my pink hair and my baby face, no one will ever take me seriously!

I lift my legs to my chest and watch the rest of the reapings with my chin resting on my knees. A few really stick out to me, a red-head named Gaara from Sector 4, he looks even more murderous than Sasuke and the crowd has the same reaction to the Uzumaki kid being reaped.

I make a mental note to stay away from him.

Sector 4 and Sector 5 are in the wind country, so they're bound to have deadly ninja, I just hope some of them are civilians. In fact, most victors come from those two sectors.

From the earth country-Sector 6 and 7- only one man catches my eye. He cackles madly as he's chosen and his long blonde hair swept up into a ponytail seems to raise like tentacles as he gives a long speech about murdering every single one of us with his art and that art is an "explosion".

I make another mental note to stay away from the male tribute from Sector 6: Diedara.

The Outer fire regions come about and a nerdy looking guy with glasses is chosen for Sector 8 along with a panicked looking red head, Kabuto and Karin. I can't help but smile when I see Sector 9's tributes: an excited, bushy eyebrowed kid paired off with a Barbie looking girl. They look so strange next to each other and I try to remember their names, Rock Lee and Ino, because they seem like good allies.

The Sectors from the Lightning country come up, Sectors 10 and 11. The first two from Sector 10 are bickering, dark skinned 18 year olds. They look almost related, with their sharp eyes and tanned skin. They obviously know each other, since they're arguing as soon as the male is chosen.

"YOU!" The girl growls. Her name is Karui.

"Me, apparently," He sighs in return, mounting the stage. His name is Omoi.

They'll probably bicker themselves to death out on the battlefield, so I'm not too worried about them.

One person from the lightning I am worried about is the female tribute from Sector 11, she has short blonde hair and a heavy bosom and they call her Samui. Not only is she terribly beautiful, she looks terribly sly and deadly.

She shakes hands with her 13 year old fellow tribute and I see an amused glint in her eye as he trembles.

Finally we arrive at the last Sector in the Water country and I note how different their village looks from ours. A layer of thick mist floats through the streets, draping over the square. In the background you can see gray and blue jutting cliffs, trees and other shrubs clinging to it on purchases. I know that if you would zoom out, you would see they resided on an island.

Their citizens are the weirdest thing about the Water Country, though. Regardless of living on an island they're so pale they look blue. Some tough looking kids have sharp, pointed teeth when they open their mouth and I shutter. Why would anyone do that?

"Suigetsu!" Their escort calls after pulling a name from the pool of boys names.

A tall, lanky boy emerges from the crowd of 17 year olds, a cocky smirk on his face. His white hair and violet eyes make for a weird combination, but I'm oddly interested in him. After all, he _does_ carry a large sword on his back and I'm shocked to see that no ANBU try to take it from him. I know that customs and rules vary in different sectors, but letting a teenager carry around a deadly looking sword that looks like it's as tall as I am?

I mark him as dangerous in my head and run through the people I've learned. I stop short when I realize I can't remember anyone but those who I thought were dangerous or good allies. Something plops down onto my lap and I look up in confusion, Sasuke, sitting on the armchair next to me, nods to it and I look down. It's a notepad with all of the tribute's names scrawled in neat writing.

_Fire Country_

_Sector 1: Hinata, Neji_

_Sector 2: Tenten, Naruto_

_Sector 3: Sakura, Sasuke_

_Wind Country_

_Sector 4: Matsuri, Gaara_

_Sector 5: Temari, Kankuro_

_Earth Country_

_Sector 6: Suzumebachi, Deidara_

_Sector 7: Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi_

_Outer Fire Country_

_Sector 8: Karin, Kabuto_

_Sector 9: Ino, Rock Lee_

_Lightning Country_

_Sector 10: Karui, Omoi_

_Sector 11: Samui, Katsuo_

_Water Country_

_Sector 12: Miyako, Suigetsu_

My eyebrows furrow and I look at Sasuke in suspicion, what is he doing? Is this an alliance? Or is he just being cordial with me, since we're from the same sector?

He just looks at me and looks back to the television as the commentators come back on the screen, enthusiastically talking about this years tributes.

"And since it's the 50th Senshi Games, and the 2nd Quarter Quell this year our batch of tributes have been picked from a special pool of teens," Itachi announces and my eyes widen with realization.

"Ninja training to become ANBU," I say the exact same time as the man on the screen says it. The three of them look to me with surprised expressions.

"You knew?" Sai asks and I shake my head.

"No, I just figured it out."

"Well, looks like you two are in deep shit," Tsunade chuckles and drains her bottle, some of the strong smelling liquid dribbling into her cleavage.

I wince but I realize my drunken mentor is right: the odds of me coming home are becoming slimmer and slimmer.

* * *

_Oh, snap! Well, I hope you liked this chapter. It was fun to write. Was it what you expected? Please review! Let me know what you think or let me know how I'm doing._


	3. Chapter 3

"I think that we really need to keep an eye on the Sector 4 male tribute," Sasuke says, circling Gaara's name on the notepad. I nod in agreement, reveling in the fact that we're working together on this. We sit huddled at the grand dinner table, Kakashi, Sai and Tsunade across from us.

They watch us working and I can tell they're caught off guard. They're obviously not used to having two highly skilled ninja as tributes. I see Tsunade scowl at me in my peripheral vision and lean over to whisper in Sai's ear.

"No one's going to take her seriously with that hair," She mutters and I slam my fist down onto the table and look at her, cutting Sasuke's observations off.

"I heard that!" I snap, glowering at her. She just smirks and raises her glass in response.

"Sakura, focus," I hear next to me and I feel my face flush as I realize Sasuke said my name.

"Right, sorry. I think Deidara looks dangerous," I point to his name and bite my lip, remembering his loud speech about murdering us all. Sasuke nods and circles his name.

"Ah! Finally, food!" Sai calls and we both look up as pale looking servants bring large covered plates of delicious smelling food. My mouth waters and I realize I haven't eaten anything since a quick breakfast this morning.

"You can continue once we're done," Kakashi tells Sasuke and he puts our notes away.

I serve myself some noodles, throwing caution to the wind. I've never really gorged myself, but why not start with the first of my last meals? Wow, that's a depressing thought.

I look around at other plates and I notice Kakashi's, Sai's, and Tsunade's are practically empty. Sasuke serves himself a minimal amount of food but I shrug. The way I see it, it's better to bulk up now and have something to burn off in the arena other than muscle.

"Okay, so" Kakashi starts snapping his book shut and putting it on the table, "You're both training to become ANBU ROOT members?"

"Obviously," I tell him, rolling my eyes. All of the tributes are, did he miss that part?

"Good, that means you have some fighting experience." He ignores my sarcasm. "What did you both get on your last exam?"

"26," I say proudly. 26 is a decent score, since it's higher than average.

"31.5" Sasuke says and I almost drop my chopsticks. I look at him in amazement, that's the highest score I've ever heard anyone get. I knew he was strong but I didn't think he was a genius on top of that. Exams happen every month and they're generally a long, taxing test that tracks our growth in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, intelligence, strength, speed, stamina and hand seals.

Kakashi nods, pleased with our scores. Or maybe just Sasuke's score, I can't tell.

"Looks like this year we've got some tributes with some promise," Sai comments and smiles at both of us. I'm sick of that damn fake smile.

"Now, tomorrow we'll be arriving in the Capital. My advice is to lay low and to not make any enemies right away. You want to go into the games with a clean slate," Kakashi tells us and we both listen intently. "It's okay to talk to people, but try to not make any alliances obvious. You never know who may be watching."

"I will train you on how to act, speak, and hold yourself while you're in the Capital. It's important to act formally and correctly to attract sponsors," Sai informs us and Tsunade snorts.

"As soon as you stepped onto that stage possible sponsors were sizing you up and seeing if you were promising," She slurs, "Everything you do in the Capital will be monitored. So you two better behave."

I nod, she may be drunk and obnoxious, but she knows what she's talking about.

. . .

As the sun sinks below the horizon and day turns to night I retreat to my room, mind whirring with information and stomach full of delicious food. Dinner had been interesting, to say the least.

"Sakura," I hear a voice call almost lazily. I turn, watching as the person belonging to the voice approaches me.

"Sasuke," I say in surprise, watching as the handsome boy stops in front of me, hands in his pockets.

"I think we should work together," He tells me and I feel my face heat up. "We'll last longer if there are two of us."

Suddenly the hallway to our compartments is too narrow. He's standing so close to me I can smell him. He smells too good and my head is foggy when I reply, "I think so too."

"Good," He grins and I step out of his way as he glides past me and into his room. Winded and heart pounding, I lean against the wall and stare at the ceiling.

I can't believe that Sasuke Uchiha wants to be my ally, what with his 31.5 I'm sure he could do more than okay on his own. For some reason he wants me with him in the arena. I smile, Ayumi would freak if she knew.

Ayumi... My parents... The smile falls off my face as quickly as it arrived. I sigh heavily and go into my room to get ready for bed, tomorrow we'll be in the Capital and then the games will really begin.

. . .

"Rise and shine!" Sai's voice blares from the other side of my door. He knocks loudly and I sit up, groaning. I got no sleep last night, and when I had finally managed to drift off I was just jerked awake, sweating and heart racing, by a nightmare.

"Okay!" I croak, hoping he'll get the hint to stop pounding my door. I sluggishly drag myself out of the comforting embrace of my bed. The silk sheets beckon to me while I get ready, but I do my best to ignore them.

"Morning," I yawn and make my way over to the table piled high with breakfast foods, although only Sai and Sasuke are present. Tsunade is probably suffering from a nasty hangover, but I don't know Kakashi's excuse.

"Good Morning, Sakura-chan," Sai smiles and motions to the chair across from him, next to Sasuke. I pull the chair out and look at the brooding raven haired boy.

"How did you guys sleep?" I ask, including Sai too because I don't want Sasuke to think I'm pining after everything he says. I scoop some oatmeal into a bowl and add strawberries and butter, mixing it up with a spoon. It smells amazing and soon I find myself digging in, savoring the taste.

"Just fine," Sai says lightly, cutting his food. Sasuke doesn't reply, he just glares at the wall across from him, hands crossed in front of his mouth.

"Sasuke?" I ask hesitantly, looking over at his tense and focused form.

"I didn't," He says curtly and I blink, noticing the dark circles under his eyes. I'm sure I look the same way.

"I know how you feel," I say bitterly, wishing I could get a couple more hours. I look to the clock on the wall and I see that it's seven AM. I wince.

"I have some sedative pills for you, if you'd like," Sai says, "A lot of tributes have trouble sleeping, and the pill gives you a good peaceful eight hour sleep."

"No," Sasuke snaps and Sai's eyes widen at his harsh tone.

"N-no thank you, Sai-san," I say a lot more softly, trying to make up for the lack of respect on Sasuke's part. I can understand his refusal to take the sedative, though. It's a scary thing, being on this train on our way to fight to the death. And honestly, adding something like a Capital made substance to infiltrate our body wouldn't help our nerves about the whole situation.

"Good morning!" Kakashi calls pleasantly, not looking up at any of us. He's still reading his bright orange book. How can he be so energetic so early in the morning? Tsunade follows after him and she couldn't be a more different story. One of her eyes is squinted shut against the offending morning light and she grumbles to herself, looking like she has an extremely bad headache. Yep, hangover.

Kakashi sits down next to Sai and serves himself a small bowl of steamed rice as Tsunade pours herself a cup of tea and retreats to an armchair away from the us.

"How close are we to the Capital?" I ask, looking at Sai. He checks his wrist watch.

"One hour," He says and I feel my insides go cold. Only one hour.

"So we've decided that I will train Sasuke," Kakashi says, causing Sasuke to look up at him. He nods thoughtfully and looks back down, I feel dread flow through me as I realize what this means for me.

"And Tsunade will train me," I say bitterly, why do I get the drunken mentor?

"It's nothing personal," Kakashi tells me, but I give him a skeptical look. He continues, "It's just that based on your jutsus, abilities, and scores, Tsunade would be more useful to you. Same with me to Sasuke."

"I guess you're right," I sigh dejectedly and Tsunade snorts from the other side of the compartment.

"It's not like I'm crazy about having to train you either, Princess."

"Stop calling me princess!" I snap and glare at her.

"_Stop shouting_," She groans and holds a hand to her head, summoning glowing green chakra to help with her migraine. I blink in surprise, so she's a medical kunoichi, like me? I turn back around in a humph and continue eating my breakfast, angry at this whole situation. Mostly angry about how they're right. Tsunade _is_ more suited to teach me.

. . .

"Are you okay?" I ask Sasuke as he answers his door. He looks like he wants to tell me to go away but he for some reason he steps aside and lets me in. Surprised, I wander in and I take in his room. I notice it looks just like mine, but backwards. And while his bed is pristinely made, my sheets are strewn about, pillows on the floor.

I sit gingerly on his comforter and look at him expectantly, "Well?"

"I've been figuring out strategies," He tells me and stands motionless.

"And?" I ask when when he doesn't offer any more.

He then launches into some of the best battle plans I've ever heard in my four years as a shinobi. He talks animatedly and has this excited, murderous glint in his eye anytime he mentions going in for the kill. It kind of scares me. After he's done informing me I stare at the wall, pink eyebrows furrowed. That's a lot of information to take in.

So, he didn't get any sleep for a different reason than mine. He isn't afraid of the games, he's _excited for them_.

He settles onto the comforter next to me and I don't notice until I feel his soft hand brushing against my cheek. I look over in surprise, face warming at the unexpected physical contact. He's studying my hair, holding a piece in between his fingers.

"I love your hair," He says softly and my breath leaves me. He uses his hand to gently brush it away from my neck and down my back. I shiver as his fingers lightly come in contact with my neck.

"Thank you," I whisper, my voice lost. He looks from my long pink locks to my eyes and holds my gaze. What's happening? Am I dreaming? My eyes wander down to his lips, fascinated. I've never been this close to a boy before. There's not much time for dating back home.

"I don't know why I never noticed you before."

His eyes flick down toward my own lips, and he leans toward me. My heart leaps inside my chest and I close my eyes, also leaning forward. I'm going to kiss Sasuke Uchiha!

"We're almost there!" Sai's voice calls from the other side of Sasuke's door. We jump apart like we were caught in the act, but in reality Sai doesn't even know I'm in here.

"Okay!" Sasuke calls and looks back to me. When he sees my flustered expression he smirks and stands up.

"I'll go first, and you can follow a little bit after," He tells me and leaves the room. I sit on his comforter and try to catch my breath. We almost kissed. The little girl in me lets out a squeal and I flop back onto his bed. It smells just like him and I curl onto my side, breathing deeply. I forget all about the games, all about training, and home and saying goodbye. All I think about is Sasuke. I can just imagine the dirty looks I would be receiving from the female population of Sector 3 if they knew.

I stand up after a bit, deciding that I've waited long enough. I smooth his bed where I was sitting so it looks like I wasn't there, drooling and rolling around all over his sheets.

. . .

"Wow," I breathe as the Capital come into view. No videos or pictures can ever do it justice, I realize. The glimmering city stands proudly in the middle of a large lake, the shimmering blue water reflecting the city. The Capital is nestled in the mountains, away from all of the Sectors. Originally the Order had resided in the middle of the fire country, but after the rebellion had broken out they had decided it was too close. They packed up and moved, taking enough lucky citizens to have a functioning society with them.

"It is beautiful," Kakashi agrees, also looking at it. "Too bad it's filled with such evil."

"That's it," Tsunade grumbles and makes her way over to the bar. My head snaps around as she browses through the selection. I can't believe she's going to get drunk right before we get off!

She pours herself a glass but before she can take a drink I'm there to smack it out of her hand.

"Hey!" She cries and watches as the glass shatters and the liquid spills onto the shiny wood floor. "You've gotta a lotta nerve to do that, Princess!" She says darkly.

"No," I snap, pointing a finger in her face and she scowls at it, "You've got a lot of nerve to get boozed up right before we leave. I need a mentor and I _deserve_ one who isn't drunk the whole time."

She glares at me for a bit and I hold my ground, feeling three sets of eyes on us. Suddenly, too fast for me to react, she slaps my pointed finger away and grabs a hold of my shirt. Before I know what's happening she lifts me up and spins me around to shove me against the wall. My head knocks against the hard surface and the breath is knocked out of me. I look down at Tsunade, vision sparkling. I feel a mixture of surprised and terrified. She holds me two feet above the ground with one hand, eyes narrowed. I can see it now. I can see her winning her games.

"You watch what you say to me," Tsunade growls, not releasing me.

"Tsunade," Kakashi says warningly, suddenly at her side and looking at her intently. She barely spares him a glance.

"I can see how you won," I cough, shutting one eye against my headache that she gave me. "I used to think you must have cheated. You really did fight and win," I rasp, "Teach me, please."

Tsunade looks surprised at this and lowers me down, amber eyes softening a fraction. Kakashi pats her shoulder and whispers in her ear something I can't hear.

"Okay," Tsunade says begrudgingly and lets my shirt go, "I'll train you, only if you agree to some things." She warns me and my face lights up.

"Of course!"

"No more knocking drinks out of my hand," She lists off and I frown, not liking that. "Remember that I know what I'm doing," She ticks off on her finger and I nod. "No complaining. I hate complainers." Easy enough.

She once again looks at my hair and scowls, "And we've got to do something about that hair."

"No!" I practically shout and my hands fly up to cover my head, as if this will stop her from dying or cutting it.

"_I love your hair."_

"Can I keep my hair? At least until my stylist sees it?" I plead, casting a look to Sasuke, who's watching with a blocked off expression.

Tsunade tsks but says, "Fine."

"Look!" Sai calls from the window and we all turn to see we've pulled into some sort of station where a crowd is waiting, "Your welcoming party!"

I rush to the window and look out at all of the people, all of them are here for us? Flashes of cameras remind me that everything is being recorded and I decide to take a more civil approach; I wave and smile.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asks, giving me a look.

"Making myself appealing," I say and Sai smiles at me in my peripherals. He looks so proud. Sasuke raises a black eyebrow and turns away from the window, ignoring the crowd. I shrug, whatever floats his boat.

But this boat, I decide, is going to try really hard to stay afloat.

* * *

_A/N: So they're arriving in the Capital! This chapter was probably the easiest for me to write, but the next chapter is giving me a bit of trouble, so don't expect it for a while. Also, I guess I should mention now that this story doesn't necessarily have a love triangle, but there are both Narusaku and Sasusaku moments._

_Most people who belong to the A:TLA fandom and ship Zutara have read The Black Games, which is what inspired me to write this, and throughout that story she allowed readers to ask characters questions! I've decided that I want to do that, too! (Also, totally go check it out it is A++)_

_**As long as it doesn't give away too much or ask something that will be revealed at a certain time, you can ask any character a question and those characters will answer them next chapter!**_

Example: "Deidara, what were you thinking when you were reaped?"

"Hn, that I would show all of those amateurs at the Capital what real art was! They think they're so artistic with their clothes and makeup, they clearly don't know that art is an explosion!"

-Deidara

_On top of questions I hope you review! I love reading all of them and I've gotten so many! Also don't panic readers of 50% Chance, I'm still writing it! I haven't given up on it! It's just that anything I've tried to write for that story lately is crap._


	4. Chapter 4

I resist the urge to roll over facedown on the cold metallic table. Where the hell is my stylist? My prepping team has already waxed me, scrubbed me and plucked me raw and I've been sitting here for what feels like hours.

I absentmindedly roll my father's locket in between my hands as I brainstorm of what it could hold. I really have no idea what he had meant when he told me to use it only when I truly needed it. How will I know when I need it if I don't know what it is? Or how do I even open it? There isn't any sort of hatch or anything, there isn't even any evidence that it does open! It just looks like a smooth, small oval. What could even be hiding in there?

I sigh and tuck the locket back underneath the paper thin gown my prepping team gave me.

"_Your stylist will be in here soon," They said._

Yeah right. I wonder if they forgot about me. No big deal, all I am is a power-less, pink-haired shinobi who is moments away from a panic attack. _Maybe they all went out drinking... Maybe I can sneak out. _Right as I think that the door flies open and an intense-looking woman flips in.

I'm not exaggerating, she _flips_ in. Unaware of what is happening I sit up quickly and right where my head was she slaps down a yellow folder filled to the brim with papers. She has an incredibly calm demeanor for someone who just tumbled through the door and stuck the landing. I look from the folder to her and I'm taken back at how not only calm she looks but at how... _normal_ she looks. Well, compared to my prepping team- who I still have mixed feelings about- Zinnia, Lily and Jasmine. They're pretty much a trio of brightly colored birds. She grins at me and leans against my table, light brown eyes gleaming. Her black hair is pulled up into a spiky ponytail and instead of being clad in bright colors and shiny material like every other Capital citizen, she's dressed in a tan overcoat that falls mid-thigh.

I stare at her with a guarded and slightly alarmed expression, waiting for her to say something. She just stares at me as I blink in confusion. What is she doing? Shouldn't she give me a run-down of what she has planned for me? Especially after an extravagant entrance like that I think I deserve an explanation.

"Uh, hi?" I say finally, breaking the silence. Genius.

"That was your first test," My stylist grins, "You passed." She claps her hands together and the wall behind her shifts and ripples, revealing a bold "YOU PASSED" in bright red letters. Intrigued with the technology in the strange wall, I stand up and gingerly make my way over to it. I hear her pull up a rolling stool and plop down onto it behind me. What did I even pass? I touch the wall and I'm shocked to see it feels just like a normal wall. How did they do this?

"What?" I ask, having missed what my stylist had said.

"First impressions are everything," The woman repeats, "I have a very good impression of you."

"I don't understand," I tell her and stand up straight.

"You don't need to," She smiles a crooked smile and waves it off. "You're the first shinobi I've ever had."

"Is that good?" I ask cautiously, still not understanding what she's getting at.

"You're the first tribute I've had that will win," She tells me and I blink in surprise.

"What makes you so sure I'll win?"

"I can tell," She says, "You've got spunk." Spunk? I can't help but laugh at that strange word.

"Spunk? What does that even mean?"

"You know, spunk!" She says as if it is the most obvious thing in the world. I shake my head and shrug. She claps a hand down on my shoulder and I resist the urge to grab her offending hand to twist it behind her back, "You've got courage, pinky! You've got this spark in you that I like."

"I do?" I gape. I've never heard anyone talk about me like this.

She nods and hands me a different portfolio than the yellow one filled with- what I'm guessing- my documents. She removes her hand from my shoulder, "Yes, and that's exactly what I want to translate into your costume." I open up the leather material gingerly and I flip through the sketches and pictures in awe. "You and your fellow tribute, Sasuke have this fiery connection. I could see it the moment you two shook hands." At this I blush and look back down at the drawing of a stunning dress.

"So you're going to use that to your advantage," I supply and meet my stylists gaze. She nods proudly.

"You catch on fast," The brown eyed woman comments and sticks out a hand, "I'm Anko." I stare uncomprehendingly at her offered hand. What does she want me to do with it?

Oh! I remember seeing footage of the interviews and each time a tribute would go up to Jiraiya Gamma, the host, he would grip their hand with his own and he would shake it. It's the capital's own greeting. I tentatively offer up my own hand and she chuckles and shakes it. Her hand is warm in mine.

"You really do catch on fast," She grins, "Welcome to the Capital."

. . .

"This is amazing," I breathe, admiring my reflection. The shimmering gown falls like a waterfall past my feet and onto the carpet behind me. It could almost be a wedding dress, with it's white glimmering material. There weren't very many weddings in Sector 3, but when there would be, people would line the dirt paved streets and throw what little money they had to offer. I would always admire how beautiful the bride would look, riding a horse side saddle next to her husband, who was customarily on his own horse.

I had to stop throwing money as I got older because my aim would be too good. One time I even hit the groom in the eye with a silver piece; I saw him a couple of days later in the street looking very grumpy with a black eye.

The angle my stylist, Anko has decided for me during the parade- a sort of showing of all of the tributes in the costumes we're chosen to wear. We're rolled down a long stretch of road into the training center. In the meantime, the primped and polished citizens of the Capital crowd the sides just to get a glance at us before we're sealed into the training center. My angle is intertwined with Sasuke's angle. When I had assumed that he looked like a dark, vengeful angel I had been right, because Anko had seen it too. But she also saw something I didn't see coming: Sakura Haruno, an angel of light and truth.

Those are our angles, angels.

It sounded cheesy to me at first but now as I watch Anko pull out a large pair of feathery wings I lose some of my hesitation about it.

"Woah," I say, attempting to step down from my pedestal to help her. They look heavy. She holds up a hand and shakes her head.

"You better not move too much in those shoes or you'll break that pretty face of yours," She says and I scowl down at my heels. I'm a deadly shinobi who's been trained to kill since she was twelve and I can't even walk in high heels.

"How will I ever learn to walk in these god forsaken things?" I grumble and resist the very strong urge to kick them across the room.

"Can't you focus your chakra stuff to the soles of your feet or something?" Lily asks, who is with the rest of my prepping team, watching from the long cushy seats that line the wall to the left of me. I take the chance to really get a good look at them. The one who spoke, Lily, is a girl a little older than me and her skin is like porcelain. Her hair is bright red and is short, short- like a boy's.

"I would be able to, if it weren't for this," I say and turn away from them, sweeping my pink hair away from my back and showcasing the chakra control device stuck between my shoulder blades. I can feel them wince behind me and someone sucks in air through their teeth.

"Oh yeah, does it-?" Zinnia starts but I interrupt him. I've recognized him as the most neutral of the three. He tends to balance out Lily's hyper-activeness and Jasmine's almost boring personality. His hair is a bright shade a blue- the color of the sky. Very fitting for his personality, if you ask me.

"No, it doesn't hurt," I turn back around and smile meekly, "Well, nothing but my pride." I never really realized how much I used my chakra until it was gone, at first its absence had a huge impact on how I did simple things like training and lifting. Now it's gotten to the point that even its flickering, beating presence is something I miss dearly. I feel so cold inside without it.

"Well," Anko says and lifts the wings into my arms, they're lighter than I expect and I enjoy the light tickle of the feathers pressing against my skin, "Today is your lucky day."

"How?" I ask bitterly, "I've been anything but lucky these past few days."

"This is how," She grins and pulls out a shiny, small object I've never seen before. She motions for me to turn around with her finger and I oblige, still cradling the bulky wings. Before I know what's happening I hear a familiar high pitched whine coming from my chakra control device and my eyes go wide. Is she taking it off? How did she get the clearance to do that?

"Now, you won't have complete control over your chakra but- wings please," I pass the wings around me and she lifts them from my grasp, "you'll have enough to operate these." Excitement flits through me at the idea of having some of my power back something she says makes me stop in my tracks.

"Operate?" I ask but I'm already having my arms lifted by my prepping team as they slip them through two pieces of fabric that blend in with my dress and are connected to the wings. The wings feel strange and floppy against my back when she speaks up again. I can't even feel my chakra and I want to throw the stupid wings off. Whatever she did must not have worked.

"Alright now I'm going to connect this there, and perfect," She mumbles while fiddling with something on the wings and stands back, looking at them proudly. I look at her like she's insane, since they don't look perfect at all; they look dead and limp. Not at all exciting like I was imagining... This whole thing is turning into a huge disappointment. _Goodbye, sponsors._

"Go ahead," Jasmine deadpans, looking at me expectantly. I glare at all of them in the mirror, my patience leaving me. What are they even talking about? My hand is reaching up to brush an agitating pink strand away from my face when I feel it. I pull my hand slowly away from my face and I open up my fingers, exposing the pink flesh of my palms.

The familiar trickling is there.

I look up at Anko in the mirror filled with a mixture of surprise and joy. She just nods and smiles. I'm choked up with emotion and I close my eyes, breathing deeply and focusing on the flow of it seeping through my body. It's not nearly as much as I normally have, but it's like someone lifted the door of a dam and let a small stream of water out. It's just enough to... _Wait._

Without another moment of hesitation I open my eyes and focus my flow of chakra to the buzzing aura of the chakra controller. I don't know how she did it but I watch in awe as the wings behind me stiffen and straighten out, as if being filled with my chakra.

I hear the gasps from my prep team behind me as the wings unfold and fill the space. I watch my transformation in the mirror from a frazzled, disappointed teenage girl with floppy wings to a mystified, happy and regal angel. With my blossom hair pulled away from my face, my breathtaking gown, and these wings I imagine how I'll look next to Sasuke. Glorious.

"Anko," I start, emotion welling up in my chest, even though she's technically helping the Order kill me off, it doesn't feel that way. It feels as though she honestly cares about me and my success in the games; giving me a good start in the parade means more sponsors looking at me, more sponsors willing to send me food, weapons and supplies in the arena. "Thank you."

She joins me on the pedestal and brushes the pink strand away from my face, her sharp features seem to soften and even her fiery personality cools down, "You don't need to thank me. You just need to win."

. . .

It actually turns out that I can make my wings flap. Well, I can't fly or anything but by cutting off the flow of chakra to the device slightly the white feathered wings sink to the ground, and by re-establishing the flow they go back to being stiff. If I do it carefully it gives the effect of flapping. It actually looks really cool and I see the four ANBU guards watching me from behind the carriage. It's not an intimidating kind of watching, it's like an amused kind of watching. I don't blame them, if I had the boring job of tribute-sitting I would be entertained by chakra-powered wings, too.

I haven't seen Sasuke since we got off the train and he was whisked off by his own stylist. I sigh in irritation. Now that I notice this, I realize I also haven't seen my mentor or escort. Where the hell is Kakashi, Tsunade and Sai? My patience is, once again, wearing thin. Aren't they supposed to be here? I guess they could be running late... Or maybe I just can't see them in this _massive_ place. We're in this sort of warehouse, but it's much bigger than any building in District 2, even bigger than our school's indoor training ground. I feel slight unease settle over me as I see other tributes start to file in from different entrances. They must be wanting to avoid a scuffle from breaking out between districts before the games.

"It's okay," Anko says comfortingly and places a hand on my shoulder, "No one's going to try to hurt you. Not with all of these guards around." I look at her in skepticism and realize by her closed-mouth grin that she's being sarcastic. These guards aren't here to protect me, they're here to make sure I'm not going to try anything with the limited amount of chakra I have. I start to laugh with my stylist when something makes me freeze. Goosebumps erupt on my arms and ice slides down my back.

Someone is watching me.

I casually inch my eyes up to find the boy from District 4 glaring at me. Glaring is a real understatement of what he's doing to me, since he's got even more murder in his eyes than Sasuke. It looks like he wants to do nothing more than kill me where I stand and eat my heart. Well, I really hope he wouldn't do that, but it's been seen in the games before- cannibalism. The other tribute from his district comes into my vision and my attention is drawn to her costume. I don't know how I could've missed it before on the boy, because they stick out at sharp, glimmering angles that I realize are a part of some flashy armor. It looks awkward and bulky on her, but on him it fits eerily well. I can see why they chose that costume for him. I shudder and look back to my own shiny, black carriage. I bite my lip and try to remember his name. I know that we had written it down. Gaara, I think it was.

"Don't let him psyche you out, Sakura," Anko cuts in and I shake my head in denial. A shinobi must never show her emotions.

"Anko. We'd like to have a word with you and your team," An ANBU says with authority, appearing out of what seems like thin air. I feel panic rise up in me. I won't even have my prep team as company? She sends me an apologetic look but rises up to glare at the masked man.

"This better be quick, I want to be back in time to see my tribute outshine the others," She barks and leads the way to god knows where. Jasmine, Zinnia and Lily all follow closely behind, like a pack of ninja dogs. I wonder vaguely if she's been spoken to several times before, since she seems to know where to go to "have a word".

Suddenly I'm alone in my heavy, overdone dress, my wobbly heels and my bulky wings. I feel ridiculous as I peek at everyone else's costumes. The tributes from Sector 2, the tributes who I had been thinking of allying with, are sparkling. Not just figuratively, but _literally_ sparkling. They're wearing full, black and gold body suits that are littered with little lights, giving off the effect that they're the night sky. I feel a smile tug at my lips and wonder what their angle is.

I hear a squabble break out a few yards to my right and I watch as the Sector 10 male and female break out into another fight.

"Karui!" Her stylist cries and tries to hold back her tribute from jumping onto the male. I think his name is Omoi. Upon further inspection of their costumes I come to the conclusion that they're the sun and the moon; the girl clad in bright yellow and gold shimmering material sweeping down to her mid thighs, the boy draped in a silver and white robe that drags behind him. I can see why they chose those costumes. They really are polar opposites.

I can feel several gazes on me, but they avert their eyes as soon as I turn to each offender. These tributes really are ninja. I wonder if I have so much attention because I'm surrounded by four guards when the average district receives two. Hah, they probably think I'm some crazy psycho killer. Jokes on them, I just have a little bit of chakra.

Let them think I'm dangerous, that I'm not just another tribute who's most likely going to die in the bloodbath. Let them think the truth.

. . .

I'm observing more tributes when I hear the familiar nickering of an animal. I smile, curiously rounding the back of Sasuke and my carriage. I find two horses and I feel somewhat comforted since Anko left. She still hasn't returned. They shake their heads and clop their hooves in anticipation as I approach them. I reach out to stoke the closest one to me. I think she's a girl.

I pet the mare's warm nose and look into her eyes. "You look a little nervous, too," I say and close my own eyes to take a calming breath. I don't know why I'm suddenly so nervous and worried. I had been relatively okay up to now, maybe it's the fact that this parade is the only real first impression I'll get. The horse suddenly grows restless and backs up, blowing air through her teeth nervously. My eyes open and I try to soothe her, but to no avail. I look over my shoulder to catch a glimpse of what's upsetting her. I had assumed it was an ANBU here to check up on me, so what I see catches me off guard.

"Sasuke!" I hiss at my district partner, who has his elbow pressed against another tributes neck, pinning him to the black carriage. ANBU are there in a flash, holding kunai and the one that seems to be in charge is holding a similar object as Anko had. Before they can do anything to hurt Sasuke or the innocent tribute I transfer my chakra to my hands and I pull the dark-haired shinobi away, allowing my wings to momentarily sag.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I snap, pushing Sasuke completely off of the sparkling tribute and into the ANBU with the object in her hands. Sasuke looks at me, disgruntled and surprised. He is quickly restrained by the ROOT member's gloved hands and the leader's finger is poised on the buttons. I swallow and hold up my hands, I have inkling of what that remote does.

"There's no need for that," Kakashi beats me to it, though, trying diffuse this situation. I look at him in surprise and I find the Sai and Tsunade are also there. So _now_ they arrive? Where were they when I was being murdered alive through a glare?

"He attacked another tribute," The woman says, motioning to a strangely calm Sasuke.

"He was sneaking up on Sakura," The raven-haired teenager says, nodding to the tribute that he had attacked. We all turn our attention to the tribute, and I'm surprised he looks so unfazed, sitting cross-legged and up against the black shell of the carriage. Was he really just sneaking up on me?

"Hi," The boy says and smiles sheepishly. I recognize him... He's the tribute from Sector 2!

"... Naruto, is it?" I ask after searching my memory. The blonde grins and scratches his cheek.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

_Wow, that was a long wait. Sorry about that, all. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you will review! What did you like? Hate? Let me know! Here are some questions that some of the questions characters have answered, and remember you can ask stuff too. Although don't be too offended if I don't answer it. It just means it'll be answered later on! _

_"Sasuke what are your comments on the capital city?" -Joele_

"I have nothing to say. It's revolting."

"_Naruto, why were you so happy about being chosen as a tribute? Doesn't the idea of fighting and killing somebody disgust you?"-happy everyday life_

"Because I'm finally able to prove myself to those who have doubted my strength! Er, and yeahhh… The whole "killing" thing is something I'm not really concerned about. I'll let everyone else do that, but I'm all up for the fighting! Bring it on, dattebayo!"

"_Neji, why did you volunteer?"-happy everyday life_

"I was sworn to."

_**Ask a character a question!**_


	5. Chapter 5

"Well, Naruto Uzumaki, I'd appreciate it if you didn't stalk me and provoke my moody district partner," I tell the sparkling tribute but offer him a hand. He looks a little offended but accepts it anyway.

"I wasn't stalking you," He tells me and pouts. Sasuke sneers behind me.

"Yeah, right. I saw the way you were looking at her," He snarls, still being restrained by ANBU.

"That's enough, you two," Tsunade snaps, "You have plenty of time to fight in the arena." I find myself frowning, I can't believe that this genuine, innocent looking boy could have been watching me.

"That's not what I was looking to do," He pleads, "I just wanted to ask you…" He flounders a little.

"Ask her what?" The head ANBU asks impatiently.

"Naruto!" A female voice calls, cutting him off and another sparkling tribute joins our little party. I look around the warehouse and notice that all eyes are on us. The other tributes are not even trying to hide their interest in us now.

"Tenten," Naruto's eyebrows raise in surprise. She is closely followed by what I assume are the Sector 2 mentors and stylists.

"What've you gotten yourself into now, Naruto?" A man with his hair pulled up into a tight ponytail asks, he has a scar slashed across his nose. That must be his mentor, and honestly, he looks exasperated. Really they all look exasperated.

"Okay, not to crash the party or anything, but the parade is supposed to start soon," Kakashi informs us and everyone nods a little tightly. The ANBU look to their masked leader and she gives the signal to release Sasuke. He jerks out of their grasp and takes a deep breath.

"Catch you later, Pinky," The blonde tribute says with a crooked grin before he's yanked away by his agitated partner. Sasuke watches him go, black eyes burning.

As if the whole ordeal never happened, the ANBU flicker away and Anko finds her way back to our chariot. She apologizes about being taken away and explains that she was just settling a few last minute sheets of paperwork. Sasuke's stylist and her usher us onto the chariot and make a few last touches on our hair and makeup.

"Don't be afraid to smile and blow them a few kisses," Anko tells us, standing on the ground and looking up at us. I can feel my feet turn cold at the idea of being seen by all of the Capital the Sectors. I bite my lip and try not to let my fear show.

Sasuke's presence doesn't even comfort me now, if anything it freaks me out even more. He's so stoic about this whole thing. He doesn't give any hint to how he's feeling and even though we're in this together, I feel like I'm all alone.

Anko must sense my anxiety because she reaches up for my hand, I almost jerk it away in surprise. I'm not used to such a comforting touch. I look down at her in alarm.

"Wear those wings proudly."She tells me quietly and I nod, a lump growing in my throat. _A kunoichi must never show her emotions._

Our chariot jerks forward abruptly by the immaculately trained horses as a whistle goes off and two massive doors slide open to reveal a crowd lined street. Oh, no. I look over to Sasuke who has the same stony look on his face. Desperate for something, I'm not sure what, I look around the room until I find two bright blue eyes staring right at me. Our eyes lock for a few endless moments and his eyes somehow tell me that everything will be okay. The opening music begins and both Naruto and my eyes widen.

"Don't focus your chakra yet, wait until my signal," Sasuke mumbles next to me and I jerk my eyes away from Naruto and up to Sasuke. I remember that my wings will hang limply behind me until I focus my flow into them. I nod and something brushes the back of my hand so softly that I almost don't catch it. We're almost out the door when he looks back down at me. The side of his mouth tilts up slightly and my breath leaves me. My own mouth forms a smile as I look into his onyx eyes.

He may be stoic and uncaring most of the time, but the moments when he allows me inside his head completely make up for his lack of interest. The next thing I know we're out of the warehouse and into the city. The crowd roars when we make our appearance, probably because we're one of the first Sectors. I reluctantly break our eye contact and I'm taken back at the sheer amount of people that decided to show up. There are literally thousands of people here.

I'm about to mentally flick my ANBU switch when I stop myself. What did Anko say? She said not to be afraid to smile or blow them a few kisses. I decide to take her advice. I smile brilliantly at the strangely dressed citizens and I wave my hand. It feels wrong and against everything I've ever been taught, but I trust that Anko knows what she's doing. I peek at Sasuke next to me and he's staring straight ahead, not even glimpsing at the screaming Capital people.

Most of them are screaming his name.

And most of them are girls.

I guess I don't really blame them. He's so gorgeous it hurts. I look at a large television and catch sight of us; even though our wings aren't open, we're absolutely radiant next to each other. I keep my smile up and even wink to a group of boys that are standing so close to the street a few peace-keepers have to push them back. Their reaction is wild.

I feel someone slip their hand into mine and I gasp and look at Sasuke, he gives me a wink and raises our linked hands high above our heads. I'm so floored at the idea of Sasuke holding my hand that I don't realize that this must have been the signal he was talking about. His black wings start to rise and I jerk myself back into the moment.

My heart is racing at our contact and I'm so hyper focused that I don't even need to think about sending my chakra to my wings, it just automatically flows into the artificial veins. I smile at him.

And this time, it's a real smile.

The crowd around us goes nuts as our wings rise and unfold in all of their glory. I look away from him and laugh, baring my newly whitened teeth.

"Sakura! Sasuke!" They scream from all directions. They love us. And just like that, I go from a faceless ANBU in training to a face that everyone in the country can recognize. I imagine my Mom and Dad watching from their posts downtown in the village square. I wonder what they're feeling. I wonder who Ayumi is watching with, since normally she watches with me. Maybe the Nara kid, they always tended to float towards each other.

We finally reach the City Circle and we pull into loop and wait for the other chariots to arrive. When Sector 12 finally rolls up the music finishes with a boom and the crowd quiets down. We've arrived in front of Danzo's mansion and it is the largest, most elegant building I've ever seen. Sasuke and I drop our hands, but he doesn't let go for some reason. My heart races at this fact.

Maybe he's as nervous as I am, but he's too afraid to show it?

Danzo's on a balcony above is and I can vaguely see his bandaged face. It seems a little strange that he would have bandages, if he's the most powerful man in the world why can't he get the best medical attention there is to offer? My thoughts are interrupted as the aged president lifts both hands in the air.

He welcomes us in a raspy, quiet voice and ice runs down my back. I've never liked listening to the beginning speech and I've avoided it if I could, but now as the cameras are cutting across each of the tributes faces to watch their reactions I have to listen and look somewhat interested and respectful.

I notice in my peripherals that since the sun has disappeared and the sky gets darker with each passing moment, that Sector 3, Naruto and Tenten, are getting more than their fair share of coverage.

I'm not offended at the lack of air time, though. Since it _is_ hard not to look away from them, they twinkle and glow and it's distracting me from, what I'm sure, is a riveting speech from Danzo. _So much for us our wings stealing the show_. I'm even more curious as to what their angles are. I hadn't even noticed when Danzo stopped speaking because suddenly the chariots are jerked forward again by the horses who just seem to know when and where to go. We parade once more around the circle and we're taken into the Training Center.

We're flanked my our prep team and stylists and they help us down from the carriages. I hate how easily Sasuke lets go of my hand and when I try to catch his eye he isn't looking my way. Tsunade, Kakashi and Sai arrive in front of us and I can see Sector 12 roll into the garage and the doors close behind them. I smile at their costumes, they're both draped in netting and the boy is holding a trident. He doesn't look very happy either. He lifts off the golden nets to reveal two delicate seashells covering his nipples.

I burst out laughing and the rest of my team look to where my gaze is. I watch as, (Suigetsu was his name?) rips them off with a roar of pain, his pride too big to wear them any longer.

We're officially done with the first part of the Senshi Games: the parade.

"You two were _absolutely radiant_!" Sai crows and I want to laugh at his ridiculous expression. He's trying so hard to be happy for us. Tsunade slaps me on back and I can smell whisky on her breath.

"It's true, you two looked like you couldn't wait to take each other's clothes off," She slurs and my face turns a lovely shad of Mortified Red.

"Sh-shut up!" I shout as my wings are lifted from my back, with the weight suddenly gone I'm unsteady and I fall forward, but Anko catches me. My team around me chuckles and I pout.

"It was a good thing," Anko assures and steadies me, hands on each of my shoulders.

I turn to Tsunade, "I thought you weren't going to get drunk!"

She laughs and throws an arm around me, causing Anko to drop her own gentle hold on me, "I never said that. But I did say I would train you, didn't I?" I throw an exasperated look towards Sasuke, but his back is to me and he's talking quietly with Kakashi. Hurt floods through me. Why is he ignoring me? We just had so many significant moments on the chariot. Why is he acting this way?

My heart comes plummeting back to earth and even my seemingly unbreakable smile falls away. The excitement of the moment is gone and I'm back to the reality of the situation. Now we're in the training Center and we'll spend 3 days training before we have to have a private session with the judges and the score us based on our abilities on a scale of 1-12.

Anko and Tsunade seem to notice my mood change because they turn me around and start walking me towards the elevator doors, my gaggling prep team trailing behind us.

"I knew it was a good idea to have wings!" Lily giggles and Zinnia hushes her.

"It wasn't even your idea," Jasmine drones. I tune them out as Anko speaks to me.

"Don't worry about Sasuke, Sakura," Anko says quietly, "Just focus on yourself." I cast one last glance at the back of his head before nodding. I'm thankful for having my heavy, clunky wings gone, because I'm suddenly exhausted. I want to do nothing more than curl up in bed and pretend I'm not in a strange city full of strange people, about to be shipped off to slaughter. I also want to eat a lot of food. And maybe cry.

But I obviously can't do any of that here so I let them lead me away from my chariot and the rest of the tributes. I can feel their glares from here so I lift my chin and walk with purpose and dignity, like I'm not having my insides pulled and twisted by a certain dark haired shinobi.

"Sakura-chan! Wait!" I hear a familiar voice call and I turn to find Naruto waving like a mad man and running to catch up with us.

I can't bring myself to smile at him. "What?" I say kind of harshly, irritated with being held back from my date with sleep.

"I wanted to tell you that you looked beautiful out there," He says runs a hand through his hair, "I couldn't keep my eyes off of you."

I chuckle, my mood lifting a little, "Well, I have that effect on people." His costume seems to be running out of juice because the glimmering spots are so dim you can barely tell they're still on. "You didn't look too bad out there either," I return, remembering how stunning him and his district partner had been in the twilight.

"Would you two just kiss and get this over with?" Tsunade grumbles and takes a swig from her bottle. I grimace and send an apologetic look towards Naruto.

"I'll see you," I wave and start to turn before Sai and can wander over and something even more offensive. Or Sasuke can come over and maul him with his fists.

"Wait! I wanted to ask you something! Remember?"

"What?" I ask in confusion, what could he possibly want?

"Did it hurt?" He smiles a toothy grin and my eyebrows furrow.

"Did what hurt?"

"When you fell from heaven?" He asks in a suave voice and I laugh while my prep team sighs dreamily.

"That doesn't work because I'm actually in an angel outfit," I wave him away and lead my team towards the elevators.

"Nice try though, right?" He calls and I laugh.

"Yes, nice try!"

* * *

_Ah! I have to get off the computer because I have to go to school! Who cares if I'm a little bit late?_

… _I do._

_Anyway here's this. Hope you enjoyed it. Review me, gurl. _


	6. Chapter 6

_Just keep going_, I tell myself. I only have to make it out of the clearing and into the shelter of the trees. I'm weaponless and painfully vulnerable out in the open. The bloodbath rages on behind me as I seek the safety that the forest offers. I look over my shoulder and see the tribute from Sector 4 chasing me, eyes red with rage. He's gaining on me with inhuman speed; now he unsheathes a kunai and licks it with an elongated tongue. Terror takes over as Gaara reaches out for me.

His forehead says love but his eyes say murder.

"No!" I try to scream, but nothing leaves my lips except a strangled gargle. I look around wildly for a weapon or someone who could help and instead I spot Sasuke fighting Naruto a few yards away. They're moving faster than my eyes can follow and they're slicing ferociously at each other with kunai. They look pretty evenly matched until Sasuke activates the mysterious sharingan he's been rumored to have. My sector partner's eyes bleed red and he begins to fight with a new fury.

"Stop!" I try to scream as he overwhelms the whiskered tribute, but, much to my devastation, my voice still isn't working. I stop running as Sasuke slits Naruto's throat, a triumphant smile curling on his face.

For some reason, my voice chooses comes back and I release a sob, "Naruto!" He falls to his knees, blood pouring from his neck. His blue eyes lock with mine and I can feel the world go quiet around me; my heart is pounding in my ears and the air around him shimmers and sparkles. He smiles. "Naruto!" I scream again as he collapses to the ground, that bloody smile still etched onto his face.

"It's too late for him," A voice hisses next to me and I jerk my head to find Gaara, crouched with his head in his hands. His skin is bubbling and shifting, tearing to reveal something underneath. My heart is hammering when I trip backwards. _No! I won't die like this! I can't! _I scream in my head.

"It's too late for you," The form rumbles and lifts his head. He cackles maniacally as he reveals a grotesquely shaped face, horns rising from his skull. He rushes toward me and-

_"NO!"_ I shoot straight up in bed, sweating and heart racing. I reorient myself with where I am and realize that the games haven't started yet. I reassure my pounding heart that it was just a nightmare.

A ridiculously freaky nightmare.

I throw the covers off of myself and climb out of the silk sheets. I try to remember where the bathroom is as I cautiously make my way across the room I'm staying in. The floor is freezing against my feet and I shiver. I'll never understand why they keep this building so frigidly cold - don't they want to keep us healthy for the games? At this rate I'm going to catch a cold.

I find the door to my bathroom, push it open, and flip on the lights. They temporarily blind me and I groan. Everything in the Capitol is so shiny and bright and sharp, and I find myself missing my little cozy village nestled in the woods. Sector 3 may have not have been the nicest place to live, but it was home.

I run the water in the sink and splash cold water in my face, trying to clear the images of the nightmare from my mind. The last thing I need now is to have a nightmare that haunts me through the first day of training. I look in the mirror and cringe. Oh, gods. My pink hair sticks to my neck and face because of the buckets of sweat I must have been producing during that nightmare.

Gaara's twisted demon face flashes through my mind and I shudder. How my imagination came up with that dream I'll never know. I pad out to my room and check the high tech clock on my nightstand. It's not a wind up, like my one back home. In fact it couldn't be any different: it's automatic, glowing, and reads the time out loud to me with just a touch of its cool screen.

If I survive these games I'm going to find out how all of these gadgets work. I lightly tap the screen and it glows with the time: "4:48". I flinch. At home I would have murdered anyone who tried to wake me up at this time. I groan internally. Well, I won't be able to fall back asleep, so I might as well get ready for the day.

Last night after dinner I attempted to take a shower, but because I had never even worked a shower (let alone seen one) and I was half asleep, I punched random buttons until scalding water came out of one nozzle and icy water came out of the other. I hadn't even soaped up by the time I had had enough and jumped out.

I strip down and step into the shower, closing the door behind me. This time I'm more careful with the buttons I press. If I can't even successfully take a shower, how can I expect to outsmart the other tributes?

. . .

When I leave my room and make my way out into the kitchen I realize how quiet it is. I don't think I've had a moment of silence since I was reaped. Even when I'd crawled in between the cold, foreign sheets of my guest bed last night, our prep teams and Tsunade had stayed up drinking and joking loudly. I grab a shiny, red apple and throw it in the air, watching as it falls back into my palm.

Now that I've calmed down, I allow myself to reflect on the nightmare that woke me up so violently. I can understand that I'm afraid of Gaara, but I didn't realize how deep-seeded my fear for him was. And this was only after one bit of eye contact before the parade.

I wander out of the kitchen and find myself out on the balcony; the sky is dark still, but a small hint of sunlight peeks over the mountains across from me. The city is so empty below me it's hard to believe it was just lined with thousands of decorated citizens, all crying my name...Our names.

I take a bite out of the apple and I chew thoughtfully. I need to thank Anko and my prep team again as soon as they wake up... What they've given me is a huge advantage - the people of the Capitol know who I am... and more importantly, the sponsors know my name. I look down at the empty road in front of the Training Center and shake my head at the lack of activity. Looks like Capitol people aren't morning people.

I'm not normally either, so I guess I can't blame them.

My mind drifts back to my dream and I remember how terrified I was at the idea of a certain tribute from Sector 2 dying, and how revolted I was towards Sasuke for killing him... A part of me wishes I hadn't taken the advanced class, "Genjtusu and Dreams", back at the academy, because now I know that dreams reveal a lot about a person and their inner longings, fears and goals. That may come in handy when it comes to sneaking into your captive's dreams and finding out their secrets, but when it comes to analyzing my own dreams I just become even more unsettled.

Sasuke is supposed to be my ally, someone who I can trust and not be afraid of. And Naruto is supposed to be my enemy, not someone who I care about enough to be devastated when I see him die. I close my eyes and try to push the image of his blue eyes fogging over as blood gushed from his neck. The image shouldn't bother me as much as it does. I lean on the balcony rail and breathe deeply, effectively banning the image from my mind. When I open my eyes a few moments later I feel my heart beat a little faster at what I see.

Because we're Sector 3, we're on the third floor, and I can look down and see the lush, well-kept lawn. I lean further over and I can't believe how easy it would be to just...jump from the balcony and run to freedom.

"Don't even think about it," A deep voice says and I squeak in surprise, whirling around to find Sasuke lounging on one of the chairs. "There's a chakra shield surrounding this place," He tells me and I resist the urge to put my hand on my chest, so instead I silently plead my racing heart to slow down.

I try not to let my shock at his presence show, so instead I frown and eye him suspiciously. "Don't even think about _what?"_

"Running away," He rolls his eyes and says matter-of-factly. I watch as he stands up and makes his way over to me. He takes the barely eaten apple from my hand and, before I can snatch it back, he tosses it over the balcony fence.

"Hey!" I snap, but I can't help but watch curiously as the apple tumbles away from us and lands on an invisible force just before the ground. It doesn't do anything for several seconds and I frown at the anticlimactic moment.

The chakra shield becomes visible around the apple as it starts to ripple and wave frantically, my eyebrows narrow and I lean further over to get a better view. A high pitched sound rings through the air. I flinch and jump back as the apple shoots upward with a deafening pop and is caught in Sasuke's outstretched hands. After a dramatic pause and his eye meeting mine, he drops it into my palms. Or rather, the charred remains of what it once was.

It crumbles in my hands and I gape in shock. "They really don't want us to run away... do they?"

"Obviously not."

I pout and drop the ashes off the balcony. I watch solemnly as they're blown away.

"What's wrong?" He asks me.

"I was going to eat that."

. . .

We listen to Kakashi's advice over breakfast, an extravagant, delicious buffet of practically every breakfast food ever cooked. I'm grabbing my third muffin that morning as he lists off all of the stations they'll offer us during training.

"You already know how to fight, so the weapon stations and combat stations are pretty useless to you guys," he says, and I notice that he keeps managing to eat while none of us are watching, since the food on his plate is slowly disappearing. I frown and raise an eyebrow at our mentor... why does he even wear that mask? My gaze wanders, along with my attention, until I'm looking out the large window at the mountains. I can't help but imagine him having big buck teeth, or really thin lips. I find my lip quirked up in an entertained smirk at that idea.

"Sakura?" Anko asks across from me, nudging my leg with her foot. I bring my attention back and blink in surprise.

"What?"

"Kakashi asked you a question," She tells me, and raises her eyebrows in questioning. It's not like me not to listen, and she must realize this.

My face burns as I ask him to repeat the question. Anko gives me a questioning look, but i decide not to tell her that I hadn't been thinking of training, or even strategizing... I had been thinking of what horrendous disfiguration Kakashi Hatake was hiding underneath his black mask.

"How are your survival skills?" he asks, and I notice that he hasn't pulled out his orange book since he sat down. I'm glad to see that he's taking us seriously... Tsunade on the other hand isn't anywhere to be found. Nursing a hangover, I'm sure.

"Good, I guess," I say thoughtfully, putting my muffin down on my plate and furrowing my eyebrows in thought, "Although I lack experience, since we're not exactly allowed outside of the gates of Sector 3."

Kakashi nods, expecting this, "Alright, that settles it." He looks from Sasuke to me, "You two will stick together throughout training, going to each survival station to effectively learn how to live in the wild. Your chemistry last night was pretty impressive, and you two will be more of a threat together than apart. Your interesting bond won't be missed by the sponsors, the other tributes, or the judges." As kakashi is telling us this I have to work to keep my excitement down. The idea of constantly being around my long time crush is a pleasant one, but I try not to let it show on my expression.

"The only thing I'm going to have to ask you to not do is show your strengths-"

"What?" I ask, "You were just telling us that we will appear _stronger_ if we stick together!"

"Well, if you would just let me finish," he sighs and his uncovered eye closes in agitation. I shrink back in my chair and feel stupid, cursing my loud mouth.

"You want to hide your strengths because you don't want your enemies planning accordingly for the arena. You want to be a surprise, a wild card." He opens his eye, looking at us sharply. Sasuke gives a curt nod next to me and I follow suit.

"Good, I'm glad we understand each other," He stands up, placing his napkin on his plate. "I'm going to go find Tsunade." As he exits, a thoughtful silence takes over the table - which is a pleasant change compared to my prep team's normal chatter.

I sneak a glimpse of Sasuke, who is leaning back in his chair, arms crossed and eyes closed. His plate is empty and he looks incredibly relaxed. I wonder what training will be like for him. I know it will be difficult with all of those strong shinobi around, showing what they're made of in front of each other while we're going to be learning how to identify edible plants...

I sigh and look down at my hands, hoping Kakashi knows what he's doing.

. . .

The training center is probably just as massive as the warehouse where we were kept before the parade. It's even more hostile, the tension in the air is thick as we enter. I can feel glares hitting us from all sides. I check the large digital clock on the wall and I see that it's only 9:56. Kakashi advised us to get there a little bit early, but it looks like everyone else had the same idea. It looks like we might even be the last ones here.

I make sure my ANBU switch is in check as we glide smoothly past the tributes from sector 12, 5 and 4, not casting them a glance. I wonder if alliances are already beginning to form as we head towards a circle of tributes that is congregating around an official-looking man. He appraises us with high eyebrows and a slight smile.

He looks way too happy to be here. His head is shiny and bald, and he has deep laugh lines. I can't imagine why they would be so deep in a profession like this.

He doesn't say a word, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. In fact, nobody is saying a word. The tributes are standing in one spot, faces stony. None of them look frightened or even a little bit nervous. I hope I look similar.

As the last minute ticks by I wonder what training is like with non-shinobi. The idea of civilian kids being shoved into this place and told to "train up" to murder is terrible. At least with ANBU trainees like us we've been trained since day one to kill. I find myself suddenly furious at this thought, how could the capital do this to us? We've dedicated our entire life to protecting these people, and now they choose to throw us all together in an arena to kill each other? For what? A higher Entertainment factor? If I survive this thing I don't think I'll be nearly as loyal as I was a week ago.

The rest of the tributes join us, the only ones lagging having been the tributes from the wind and water countries. Seeing Gaara's hateful gaze land on me causes a wave of panic to wash over me. I try to monitor my heart rate and direct my eyes elsewhere even though I can still feel his glare burning me. I'm sure there are experts hidden away somewhere who are monitoring tributes heart rates.

I can't help the images of Gaara's disfigured horned head that push into my mind.

"In two weeks, twenty-three of you will be dead. One of you will be alive," The man says, finally speaking. We all stand a little straighter, hanging on his every word. "Who that is depends on how well you pay attention over the next four days. Particularly to what I'm about to say." He says, his shadow of a smile disappearing.

"First: no fighting with the other tribute. You'll have plenty of time for that at the arena." He looks each of us in the eye, voice becoming stern. He gestures to each station as he continues, "There are four compulsory exercises. The rest will be individual training. My advice is don't ignore the survival skills. Everybody wants to grab a kunai, but most of you will die from natural causes, ten percent from infection, twenty percent from dehydration. Exposure can kill as easily as a knife."

When he said that everybody wants to grab a kunai, he wasn't lying. It seems lik everybody is eager to show what they can do. When a buzzer rings through the center, signaling the start of the first training session, a good chunk of the tributes naturally gravitate toward the weapons. I'm not surprised when I see a rowdy, blue-eyed boy leading the pack, his excited gibberish extremely out of place.

I can hear him all the way from here: "Too bad we can't fight these amateurs now, huh, Ten? We could take them."

The shinobi around him visibly grow more rigid and a few turn to openly glare. I want to march over there and yell at him for making a scene and saying such stupid things when I hear his district partner beat me to it.

"What're you saying, idiot?! Do you want everyone here to hate us?" I can see her yelling at him as he looks with a bored expression at the ceiling. He rubs his nose.

"Doesn't matter because they'll all be dead anyway. You heard the man," he grumbles, and that just angers Tenten even more.

"Come on," Sasuke says, having heard enough. He glides away from me and I tear my eyes away from the scene to follow. I'm confident that his district partner can keep him in check.

We sit at the knot tying station for the first session, easily mastering each knot the instructor throws at us. She seems a little bit too excited for students, but she also is a little bummed when she runs out of useful snares and traps to show us. We learn knots from a butterfly knot to a snare that pulls a poor soul up by their ankle, vulnerable to the predators around them.

Part of me feels that it's almost useless to learn how to tie these knots, since we're all trained shinobi who've been taught to detect something as rudimentary as a simple snare. I'm sure she doesn't get a lot of tributes coming through here, either; most kids wouldn't be too interested, especially with a shuriken throwing station right next to it. Sasuke and I have been keeping a close watch on those that come by.

Frustratingly, everyone who comes by to throw are really accurate and quick. Tenten, Naruto's sector mate with the buns, threw dozens of stars in quick succession all down the targets. She hit each in the head, bulls eye. Even for us, that's impressive.

There was only one boy who wasn't quite up to everyone's level. He looked about my age and terribly lost and afraid. His glasses kept falling down and he often tripped over his own feet. When it was his turn to throw, he missed the target by almost three feet. Laughter echoed around him and his face burned pink. He stumbled away to find his redheaded district partner who seemed to be avoiding him on purpose, white hair shrouding his face.

The poor blundering guy, how he was ever accepted into his ninja academy, I'll never understand. Maybe in that sector, they're more lenient about physical scores. I'm sure he's a total brainiac, though. There are boys like him in my school back home. They come first in class to Genjtusu and strategy, but when it comes to sparring exams or anything physical, they're dead last.

As we move along to the edible roots and plants station, I find myself cursing Kakashi. We pass by a first aid station that introduces using chakra to heal yourself or someone else. I feel my shoulders slump a little as I watch a blonde, blue eyed girl with her hair swept into a high ponytail heal a patient's burn. The station has a green glow and I wish desperately to be over there with her, in my element, healing.

The elderly man at the edible plants station is very kind, and he bows to us when we step up to the station. It has a large garden with all kinds of roots, poisons, and flowers.

I'm pretty familiar with the herbs and roots, since I helped make medicines and cures before school with my professors. We both pay close attention to the plants that are edible, some grow in water with thick roots that you can eat raw, others are simple leaves that are chewable and taste minty. And there are even some types of bark that are edible!

The instructor is showing us how to skin a cactus-like plant to prevent it from feeling like we're swallowing a porcupine when an unfamiliar voice blares behind me.

"Excuse me, beautiful woman!" It says and I almost ignore it, thinking it's probably for some other girl. I look over my shoulder when the instructor stops talking to gape at the space behind me.

It takes all of my power not to shudder when I see him. _Eyebrows_, is all I think, _what's with this guy's eyebrows?!_

When he gets down on his knee I flip around and scoot myself as far away as possible until my butt is planted in the soil.

"Please be my girlfriend! I will protect with you with my life and ensure that you will be the victor of the 50th Senshi Games!"

I lift my arms to cover my face, palms facing out, as if the pose will make me invisible from the strange tribute kneeling in front of me. I can feel his bowl cut staring at me from here.

"What is your name, blossom princess?" He practically shouts and I flinch back, pushing myself even further into the soil. Behind my crossed arms I look up at Sasuke, hoping for some sort of help or rescue. He's using a kunai to peel away the sharp outer layer of the cactus, a slight smile on his face.

Why is that jerk smiling at a time like this? I peek over my arms and see that the tribute is still there, a fist held up in the air.

"This is not amusing," I hiss to Sasuke, barely audible, "_Help. me._"

"Her name is Sakura Haruno," My partner says loudly and I'm tempted to punch him in the face, but the rule that states that we're not allowed to fight holds me back. _That traitor!_

"I-" I start to flounder, but I'm saved by a loud buzzing that is heard throughout the room, signaling the end of the first half of the day.

"Let's go get some lunch," I say a little too cheerfully as I grab Sasuke by the wrist and pull him up with me and past bowl cut boy.

"How could you do that to me?!" I snap as we join the line of tributes shuffling out of the warehouse.

"He just wanted to know your name," Sasuke says and I can hear the amusement in his voice.

"What about you? Why didn't he want to know your name?!"

"He probably already knows it."

I don't dignify him with a verbal response, instead he receives a carefully planted bruise on his shoulder.

* * *

_Here it finally is! Happy holidays and stuff! I would say that this is my gift to you but it'd a pretty lame gift, so I'll say it's just a stocking stuffer. _

_And sorry about the wait, before I knew it, it had been 2 months since I had updated and I was like "WHAT". SO I guess I just lose track of time. Anyway, I hope this story is living up to your expectations. If not, let me know why not! I'm always up for critiques._

**Question time!**

"_Sakura, Now with most of your chakra cut off from you, what is your strategy for winning these games? Will you be pairing up with the friendly Naruto perhaps?" -Dragon Sword_

"I think you misunderstand, Dragon-san. My chakra will only be cut off for training, I will get it back when the games start! So I'm not really worried... But about Naruto, I'm not sure what Tsunade and Kakashi think about alliances, but if I choose to form one, I'll go to him first. And Sasuke, of course."

_**Ask a character a question!**_


	7. Chapter 7

The clatter of forks against plates and the low murmur of voices fill the room as Sasuke and I find a place to sit.

It almost reminds me of the academy.

Almost.

We spot an empty table, away from the bulk of kids. Tributes are scattered around, and luckily the tribute from 4 stopped staring at me sometime during training. I'm not sure why, I'm sure watching us tie knots and look at plants was absolutely riveting!

We set our trays down with our lunches on the table and sink down, our eyes scanning the room. Tributes are already grouping together at tables and I take note at the most obvious alliance: The one revolving around Gaara. There's a girl with sandy brown hair gathered into 4 spiky ponytails and a boy with a plain face and brown hair, but his eyes are sharp and aware.

They also have another girl who looks like she's only 13. She's really young, but she has a cocky air to her that I'm worried will get her killed. I remember seeing her at the healing station, hunched over a patient who looked like he had been dipped in a poison ivy that's why they're keeping her around. She's a medic, and probably a good one too. Hopefully she doesn't do something stupid and die right away. It's silly that I'm worried about that though, considering how she probably wouldn't think twice about slitting my throat. I just can't help but have pity for her, she's going to die so young.

Or she could pull a Kakashi and win at the age of twelve in four days, but even then, she would never be the same. No victors ever come out the same.

There is no victory in the Senshi Games; even if you win, you lose.

I eat my lunch and continue my observation, noting that the loud mouthed tribute from Sector 6- the one who gave a long speech about murdering us all with his art while tossing his long blonde hair- is sitting next to the beautifully sharp woman from Sector 11. She looks like she wants to chop his head off as he leans on his elbow and grins at her crookedly, obviously hitting on her. I can see her fist clench from here as he sneaks a peek down her shirt. He's obviously not sane, that one.

It looks like we won't have to worry about killing him. She'll beat us to it.

I also observe that silver haired boy- Kabuto- is sitting alone in the corner, shoulders slumped. His red-headed partner must have publicly abandoned him, because she's sitting next to the blonde, blue eyes tribute that I also saw at the healing station and with the female tribute from Sector 12. She doesn't have sharpened teeth like her sector mate. Lee is also sitting with them, but he's not paying attention to them. He's scanning the cafeteria, much like me. I flinch when his freakishly round eyes land on me.

He waves and shouts, "Sakura-San!" causing several agitated faces to turn his way. He doesn't pay attention to them as he starts to blow kisses in my direction. As if following the kisses through the air, I feel angry glares travel from Lee to me. My face burns red and I dip my head, letting my long hair act as a pink curtain. So much for Kakashi's plan to keep below the radar, since I've been the subject of many, many glares. I can only imagine how many people are already planning to slit my throat.

As I'm praying for the attention to be directed elsewhere, the worst possible thing happens.

"Hey, pinky! This seat's not taken, is it?" A loud voice blares next to me as I hear a chair scrape and someone's tray slaps the table. Naruto. I groan in response. Can't I just study the other tributes in piece?

"Naruto, idiot. Let's sit alone," Tenten hisses, "They obviously don't want any company."

I look up at him Sasuke sitting rigidly next to me. He's glaring at Naruto on the other side of me with slit eyes. I'm about to voice that it might be better if they did sit elsewhere, but Naruto laughs and pulls Tenten down with him.

_"Neh, neh,_ they don't mind."

We do, but I don't say anything, I don't want to cause more of a ruckus and draw more attention to us.

We eat in tense silence, well, Tenten, Sasuke and I do. Naruto's babbling away happily and I resist the urge of covering his mouth with my fist. Does he not realize what we're doing here?

We're training to fight to the death.

Training to fight _each other _to the death. Why is he joking about the quality of the food like it's just another day back at the academy?

People's attention slowly drift away from us, and with each stabbing glare that lifts off me I feel a little less tense. Sasuke is a different story, he hasn't touched his food, instead he's clutching his fork with white knuckles, like he's restraining himself from running the sharp prongs into our blonde intruder's eyeball.

I pray to the gods that he behaves himself. That was one of the first rules: no fighting the other tributes and stabbing their eyes out with cutlery.

Unsure of what i'm doing, but knowing i have to calm him down, i hold my breath and bring my hand underneath the table and seek out his other hand, the one not gripping his fork. It's clenched into a fist on his leg. I drape my own hand gently over his and I can feel him tense- even more so than he was, a feat I didn't think possible.

Slowly he turns to look at me, and I wait for his gaze to lock with mine. My heart is pounding in my chest, _I'm actually holding his hand_. I hope my gaze is steady and communicates the message I'm trying to emit, _'It's okay, calm down. I'm right here.'_

His black eyes narrow as he tries to decode my message, like he's unsure of my intentions. After all, we barely knew each other before being reaped. After of a few tense moments, Naruto's babble drowns out into white noise. Sasuke's rigid, icy posture melts a little and he sets his fork quietly on the table. He shifts his hand underneath mine and my breath catches, is he going to turn it around and squeeze it gently, give me a cocky smile and a reassuring wink, like at the parade?

A lump forms in my throat when he pulls it out from underneath my palm and leaves my hand hovering above his leg, cold nothingness replacing where his skin once was.

I choke back emotion and realize for the first time that he doesn't trust me. I had thought that when Kakashi was talking to us on the train that he would have accepted me as an ally, like I had done for him. And with that realization comes my next one: for the first time in my whole life- in this loud, bustling, big room- I feel completely alone. It's not a good feeling.

My tiny, flickering flame of excitement and nervousness that came with the first day of training extinguishes.

. . .

My hands are in the cool dirt at the edible plants station and I'm not listening to the continuation of the instructors lecture that was interrupted by lunch. I savor the feel of the moist, cold soil. If I close my eyes and try really hard, I can imagine I'm back home, helping mother tend her garden, and it's funny because her garden looks eerily similar to this one. While other gardens in Sector 3 had flowers and vegetables, my mother's was filled to the brim with strange plants and bushes that could be used for antidotes, medicines, and most importantly, I think, poisons.

Part of me wishes I had asked about the more advanced poisons she grew, produced and gave to the capital for a couple extra ryo. There was one, I remember my mom telling me about it, that would paralyze a victim for several hours.

How nice that would be to have under my belt as I go into the arena. Not literally, I mean, just the knowledge of how to prepare it.

I breathe deeply, trying not to panic and trying to enjoy the smell of soil and flowers and life. The only couple poisons I really know are minor and cause sluggish movements or hallucinations.

We were limited in what we were taught at the Academy, Danzo regulated what we were exposed to very carefully. Ever since the rebellion 50 years ago, the Academy's curriculum has been changed completely, but I didn't really think about that at the time. Often, the things we are taught we don't even use because rebellion is so rare in our sector.

You don't really realize what you're taught until you realize it's not enough. And even though I spent almost every morning in the greenhouse out back with my Poisons and Antidotes sensei, we only ever made lotions, remedies, and medicines.

Her name was Shizune, and she not only instilled in me countless ways to heal, she instilled her beliefs. Killing is necessary, almost expected in our line of work, but Shizune refused to believe that.

"_They train us to become the best healers in the world, but we're expected to turn a blind eye to the pain around us, and the worst part is that often times we're the ones supposed to inflict that pain," she said one morning, the sun peeking through the trees and sifting in through the dusty glass of the greenhouse. She was grounding out a grain into a fine powder, her movements jerky and violent, fueled by anger. _

_My pink eyebrows raised, halting my own grinding movements. I'd seen her get worked up before, but not quite like this. She must have been referring to the seek and destroy mission that had been executed that previous night. Sasuke had been the team leader and I had almost been requested, but there was a minimal chance of injury occurring, since the targets were a ragtag team of citizens who were trying to make a break for it. Our shinobi had come back successful, unscathed and with empty hands. No prisoners were taken._

_That's what happens when you try to leave our little sector. Death. _

_"Well, to be fair, they were breaking the sector's number one rule: never leave the outer walls of the village," I said. Shizune shook her head, dropped what she was doing and put her hands on my shoulders. Her gaze bored into mine._

"_All life is sacred, and those people who the squad killed were just humans who were trying to find a better place to live," She told me, "What right does Danzo have to tell us to kill our own friends, neighbors and family?" My eyes grew wide and my stomach twisted; people didn't talk that way about President Danzo… They just didn't._

"_What are you saying?" I asked, panicked and trying to pull myself out of her grip, but she held on tighter._

"_Promise me that if you're ever requested to go on a seek and destroy mission, you'll reject it," She said and I wanted to break away and distance myself from her, but I was frozen in shock. _

"_But, Shizune-Sensei, an offer like that is one of the highest of honors a student can receive," I finally stammered but she shook her head vigorously._

"_No, no, no. There's nothing honorable about murder. When you go on a search and destroy mission, you not only destroy your target, you destroy your humanity. You're smart Sakura, you have the potential to be better than all of us," Her hands dropped from my shoulders, and her wild exterior melted into a calm, resolved one. _

_I felt my feet wanting to inch toward the door, after all, if someone started to lose it or spoke about things they shouldn't, it was my duty as a shinobi-in-training to report it. It happened often, and they took the person to some sort of camp where they helped them gain their sanity back. _

Sakura, go get help, you know that she's not thinking clearly,_ I tried to tell myself, _it's dangerous for her mental health to leave her without treatment. _Yet, I stayed. I think it was because of her last sentence. No one had ever spoken about me like that, after all, all I was good at was chakra control, and we hadn't even started learning genjutsu. I got the lowest marks in taijutsu and anything physical. _

_Healing hadn't turned into a revered thing until we were a bit older and started to see more action with more rebels. Skilled, fast, deadly rebels. We didn't know where they came from, we just knew our orders: kill them. So basically, I was useless. A burden. _

_But Shizune-Sensei didn't see me as a burden, she saw me as someone who could be better than everyone else. Better with what? Stronger? Smarter? What did she mean when she had said "better"?_

_I could feel something churning within me as we picked our work back up and started grinding away, acting like nothing had conspired between the two of us. _

The fact that someone actually had faith in me changed how I saw things. Who I was. A lump forms in my throat when I think of my mentor and the one person who constantly believed in me. I wonder if she knows I've been reaped and chosen for these barbaric games, wherever she is. I wonder what she would think. Would she still believe in me?

After all, she raised me into a healer with the ability to kill. Not a killer with the ability to heal.

. . .

The bad part about being a shinobi and in a building with two dozen other shinobi is that there is no letting your guard down. There is no relaxation.

So when Sai tells me to relax I'm tempted to throw my ridiculously tall heels at him. For hours he's been trying to coach me for the interviews that happen the night before the games. In front of hundreds of capital citizens.

More importantly, they will be filmed and broadcasted to everyone in the country. Everyone will see it. Including my mom and dad. And Ayumi. And shikamaru. And everyone from my district. I swallow and feel panic building in my throat, but I will myself not to puke. True panic is something that I've only felt a couple of times in my life, once when we were making exploding tags and Ayumi and I accidentally triggered one, the next when I heard my name fall from my escort's pale lips, and this. Having the knowledge that in two short days everyone in the country hanging on my every word, judging on whether or not I'm going to be killed.

So you can assume that I'm only feeling_ a little _nervous and flustered. And Sai's sickly sweet disposition just makes me want to scream and storm out like a brat. I don't think he truly grasps what kind of position I'm in here.

"Okay, once more," he says and sits in a chair diagonal from the one I'm supposed to sit in. "Walk in like I'm really Jiraya Gamma, like they're your adoring capital fans," he motions to my mentor, stylist and prepping team, all lining the wall.

While Zinnia, Lily and Jasmine are all watching quietly and politely Anko and Tsunade wolf whistle and cheer and clap obnoxiously. Even though there isn't a drop of alcohol on the premises they're acting like drunken men. They've been watching me struggle for a half an hour now and I'm tempted to ask them to leave. I know they have good intentions, and they're trying to lighten the mood, but now they're just making this harder.

"You can't let the audience scare you. You have to seem as though interviewing in front of the whole nation is something you do daily, then, and only then, will you have an effective interview and gain interest from sponsors," Sai tells me, voice empty, like he's rehearsing something from a book.

I cross to the other side of the room, wishing I could focus some of my chakra to my feet so that it'd be easier to balance in these ridiculous heels. But no, the chakra controller is still attached to my back, nestled between my shoulder blades, holding back my chakra like water in a dam.

I finger the little locket I was given from my father, the only thing I have from home. It soothes me to know that there is a little secret hidden within it. Even though I don't know what it is, I'm thankful to know that I'm not going into these games completely unarmed. I take a deep breath and focus on my ANBU switch, trying to modify it, so that I can tweak it a little from stony and indifferent to gracious, strong and kind.

That's the angle for the interview we all decided on. Since my baby face and pink hair make it impossible to be seductive or deadly or even mysterious. I might as well have a stamp on my overly sized forehead that says,"HELPLESS." I walk confidently over to Sai and smile at my audience. I even wave.

I sit down gracefully next to Sai and cross my legs and sit up "straight and attentive", waiting for him to speak.

"Hello, Ms. Haruno, you look absolutely dazzling," Sai says in a voice strikingly similar to Jiraya Gamma's.

"Thank you, Jiraya," I say and flash my artificially whitened teeth.

"Tell me, Sakura, what is your favorite part of the Capital?" He asks and I stop short.

"Uh," I fumble, what kind of a question is that? I'm not here on some vacation. I'm here preparing to kill and be killed. "I like, _uh..._"

Anko and tsunade boo while I rack my brain for something at least a little enjoyable. When I turn to glare at them they snicker.

"No, Sakura. You don't hesitate while answering, now lets try again," he says, irritation leaking into his voice for the first time since we've started. You know I'm doing a bad job when _Sai _gets irritated. I grit my teeth and stand up, practically stomping to the other side of the room. I wonder how Sasuke's training is going with Kakashi and his stylist.

It has to be going better than mine.

* * *

_Okay, so I'm just going to leave this here and hope to god that you guys don't hate me forever and ever. It's been a long time, I know. I'm sorry. I hope you leave kind reviews! Also, I'm thinking about going back and tweaking some things, like adding a name for the whole nation, since I didn't do that in the first place. Hurrr durrrr._

_Also changing Capital to Capitol I mean why did I even changed that?! I don't evEN KNOW! _

_Anyway, this story is always in the back of my head and it just takes a lot of inspiration from the promise that if I succeed with this story, it'll be damn good. I mean, Shinobi in the Hunger Games! That's freaking cool!_

_I just have to brush up on writing action scenes. Pft, what do I mean "brush up" I've never even freakin' written a fight scene. Oops._

_Also was the insert from her past too out of the blue or did it work?_


	8. Chapter 8

I think the thing I miss most about home is being shaken awake by my mom an hour early to stretch and meditate. I know it's silly, and I didn't really enjoy waking up early then, but as my eyes crack open to reveal my cold, unfamiliar room, I ache for my mom.

This is the last day of training, and tonight we have our private training session, where we'll be given a score that shows just how strong we are. I pull the covers over my head, unwilling to face the day. I want my home. I want my room and my sector and my parents. I don't want tomorrow to come, I don't want to face the nation and talk and smile and giggle like I'm not about to try to kill anyone the next day. The next morning after that... well, the games will begin.

Underneath the warm tent of my comforter, I can almost hear her voice, "Come on, Sakura," she would say as she pulled my ratty covers to reveal my sprawled, sleeping frame. "Time to stretch and hone your Sei-ryoku!"

My mom believed in the vitalizing powers of yoga, or what she liked to call it "Shin-shin-toitsu-do", the traditional name. Each weekend we would be "stretching" and "honing" different powers inside ourselves. Sei-ryoku is the "the power of vitality." Which is basically the energy for endurance and perseverance. "Come on! Sakura, you'll miss the sunrise!" She would say and pull my ankles to drag my unconscious form across the sheets until my body thumped onto my floor. I often didn't even wake up from this.

I'm telling you, I love my sleep.

Eventually, she would succeed in waking me up. I would tell her the sun would rise tomorrow and I could see it then, and then she'd tell me that I wouldn't get to have breakfast without shin-shin-toitsu-do. I'd begrudgingly get dressed.

It was the last thing I wanted to do, but now it's the only thing I want to do.

I throw my comforter off and slide to the end of my bed, closing my eyes. "Okay, okay, mom. The sunrise won't wait, you're right." I say this out loud, wishing she could hear me, but I leave out the rest, and let it rest on the tip of my tongue, just in case so, on the one in a million chance that she can hear me, she won't be upset.

I_ don't know how many sunrises I have left._

The floor is cold again as I shuffle out of my room without even showering, after all, nobody is even going to be up. Kakashi is never out of his room until 8 and Tsunade hasn't shown her face since my interview training. When I think of this, anger flashes through me, why has she just... disappeared? I thought she saw something in me. I thought I had a chance with her for sponsors. But, no, she has to go and disappear, like the drunken gambler she is. Anko told me about these things called "casinos" they have here. It's basically where messed up people like her go to drink and throw all of their money away.

_I'm so glad I have her to help me win these games_, I think sarcastically as I make my way into the large, wide open space between the dining room and the sort of... living room. The hardwood floor feels warmer on my feet than the beautiful tile in my room and I have a clear view of the city and the mountains through the ridiculously tall window. I tie my long, pink hair up into a ponytail, wondering what my mom would say if could see me now.

I spread my feet out until I'm in a solid stance and I raise my hands above my head, breathing out. No more thinking about Tsunade, no more thinking about my mom, no more thinking about my interview, and no more thinking about Sasuke.

My joints pop satisfactorily as I do a few general stretches, trying to warm my body up. My eyes are closed as I try to remember the different kinds of strengths and what they're called. I feel panic grip me when I realize that I can't remember them all... I can only recall Tai-ryoku, the power of strength, Sei-ryoku, the power of vitality, and Tan-ryoku, the power of courage. There were at least four more, but for the life of me.. I can't remember.

I drop my arms and press my fingers against my closed eyes. _Remember,_ I tell myself. _Remember. Remember. Don't forget what life was like before this._

After failing to recall them, I take another deep, shaky breath and let my hands drop to my sides. I decide to do Tan-ryoku, because the thing I need most now is courage. I sit on the floor and cross my legs, situating my feet so that they're above my knees. I press my knuckles together in front of me and breathe deeply, trying to focus... no, lose focus. Like my mom instructed me.

"_The way to have courage is to take a step back from the situation and look at it from a different point of view. You will see you don't have to be so afraid." _ My mother's words softly come back to me. _"Disconnect yourself."_ Okay, a different point of view. Different perspective. I can do this.

Sakura Haruno is a 17 year old girl from Sector 3. She attends... _attended_ the ANBU Academy there and received high scores in every aspect of being a shinobi besides stamina and ninjustu. She was the first in her line of peers to becoming a graduated medic-nin to fight along side those successful in crushing the rebellion. A year from graduating, she was reaped for the 50th Senshi Games and the Second Quarter Quell with Sasuke Uchiha. They are being trained beneath Kakashi Hatake and Tsunade. They have agreed on a semi-alliance that is kind of unclear because he seems to be bipolar and likes her, but then doesn't like her, but then likes her again and almost kisses her on his bed. There is also another boy named Naruto who seems to like her and he isn't bipolar and she had a nightmare where he died and she kind of wants to ally with him but knows that Sasuke would never agree to it. And then there's Rock Lee, who has big eyebrows and the shiniest bowl cut and continuously follows her and her sector mate around during training and she doesn't really want him to-

Wait.

Stop.

I am literally doing the last thing I want to do for Tan-ryoku. I fidget in my sitting position to make sure that I'm comfortable. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. I repeat this until all I'm focusing on is the cool air travelling down my throat and the slight movement of my ribs. I imagine my chakra flowing free through my body, not held back from the chakra inhibitor. That does it.

I stop thinking.

. . .

When I open my eyes again, the sun is above the mountains and the smell of breakfast wafts over to my sitting place. Feeling infinitely more calm and relaxed I untangle my legs and lie back to stretch.

"So the princess isn't dead," Tsunade says and I snap up to a sitting position, shocked. She's sitting at the breakfast table alone with Sasuke, who has his back turned to me, and Sai is busy writing notes into a notebook. She doesn't look or sound drunk, but she's also had plenty of practice acting otherwise.

I try to flush my anger down so that the hours of meditation weren't for nothing. I pad over to the breakfast table, noting the absence of my stylist and Sasuke's mentor. It must be still early.

I eye Tsunade suspiciously as she eats her breakfast and serve myself toast and jam. "Good morning," is all I say, even though I want to stab my knife into the table and ask her just where the hell has she been, but I refrain, knowing that I'd get an earful from Sai about how this table is mahogany or something.

"Morning," Sai says half-heartedly and I look over at him in surprise, he sounds almost... distracted? His pencil is working quickly and in a succession of short and long strokes. Surely he couldn't be that interested in whatever he's writing?

I forget my breakfast and slip out of my chair until I'm directly behind him and have full view of his notebook-no- sketchbook. He's drawing. I gape at the back of his head. Who knew he had... talent?

I turn my attention back to his drawing, he's sketching what looks like two lions; they're beautiful and fierce and it seems like they could pop out of the scroll and jump at me any second.

"Wow," I breathe in admiration. I wish I had talent like that. Sai stiffens below me and rolls his scroll up faster than I could believe possible.

"I'm sorry," he says automatically. "I should have been focusing on you and sector partner. It was selfish of me to indulge in_ such activities_." He doesn't look at me, but I can't help but take a step back, bewildered at the intensity he said 'such activities'.

"Sai, you're amazing," I can't help but say. "Why would you keep it hidden?"

"What are you going on about?" Tsunade asks from the other side of the table.

"Sai's drawing!" I say and snatch it out of his hands. He lets out an indignant gasp, but I ignore it. I unroll it on the table for Tsunade to see. "See?"

Sasuke and Tsunade look at it with appraisal; I can tell they're just as surprised as me, but they contain it better.

I look at Sai and I wish I hadn't. He looks... almost hurt. He also looks angry. That gives me another little shock. I would have never thought someone like Sai could actually get mad.

Guilty, I take the scroll from the table and roll it up. "Sorry," I mumble, holding it out for him.

He takes it wordlessly and tucks it underneath his arm. All three of us watch as he pushes his chair out, stands up, and goes into his room. Shame eats at me.

"Nice." Tsunade barks out a laugh.

"Well," Sasuke says and stands up. "If we're all done here, hurting everyone's feelings, we should go down to the training center."

I really look at him for the first time since he rejected my touch at lunch the other day. He's still terribly handsome and still has that stupid not-a-care-in-the-world facade.

"Sakura," he says and my heart flutters. "Let's go." I try to squash the stupid butterflies in my stomach. He's just a boy. He starts walking towards the door, expecting me to follow, no doubt. He's just a boy... A cute boy. A dangerous boy, I admonish myself. He's just so handsome and he likes my hair...

After a moment, his words finally register and I look down at myself. I'm still in my pajamas, and I still haven't showered.

"You know," I say and he stops, but doesn't look back at me. "You go on ahead. I'm going to stay here a little bit longer." To make myself a little less disgusting.

He just grunts in response and exits. I find his lack of a reaction disappointing; I wanted him to ask why or at least be a little more upset. So much for Tan-ryoku, I feel even more in turmoil now. I wonder if my mom would be disappointed in me. I pout and start towards my room when someone that I had forgotten was in the room speaks.

"Sakura, as your mentor, I'm telling you this," Tsunade says and I turn around, a surprised expression on my face. I interrupt her, my hands flying to my cheeks in mock joy.

"Wow! You're finally stepping up as my mentor?! Oh boy!"

"Cut the shit, Princess," Tsunade snaps and I notice that she had used my actual name before, but now she was back to 'Princess'. I cross my arms tightly and look at her expectantly. She stands up from her spot at the table and crosses the marble floor until she's right in front of me. "Don't. Trust. The. Uchiha." She says it clearly and sharply, no sign of joking in her eyes or her tone.

My pink eyebrows furrow and I shake my head in disbelief. "What have you got against the guy? I've never seen him do anything that makes him suspicious."

She just holds my gaze with her own. Our close proximity shakes me and i can distantly feel her words being planted like a deep seed within my brain. I also notice the lack of something... alcohol breath?

"Are you... sober?" I breathe, eyes widening.

"Yes," she says but waves it away, like it's not important. "Don't trust him, don't form an alliance with him. Don't form an alliance with anyone."

I look at her incredulously. "So you're basically saying I can't trust anyone."

She nods, completely serious. I think of Naruto.

"But what if-"

"No 'but's, Sakura," she snaps, "These kids, they aren't looking for friends. They're not going to watch your back. They're going to stick a knife in it."

. . .

Naruto and Tenten join Sasuke and I for our last day of training, much to the agitation of my sector mate. I'm glad we steer clear of all weapons and sparring- _"What? Why? That's so boring!"_ said a very helpful Naruto when informed of our schedule- because I can only imagine how quickly Naruto would get an "accidental" shuriken to the brain.

I ruffle a little when he insults the snares and traps station. "Naruto, these can actually be very useful. Just ask Mr. Hirashi here." I motion to the balding man who's obviously offended by Naruto's unkind words.

"Nah, I'm good", he says and wrinkles his nose. While he is maddeningly distracting and a terrible student, Tenten is a different story; she picks up everything even more quickly than I did. She might be a formidable opponent. _Unless you have her on your side_, a tiny voice in the back of my brain says. Then I remember Tsunade's frustrating advice. How the hell am I gonna survive this thing on my own?

We slowly drift from station to station, more interested in the tributes at other stations than what the stations have to offer. I can feel someone watching us closely, but everytime I think I know where it's coming from and look, there are no eyes on us. Goosebumps pop up on my arms and the hair on the back of my neck stand on end, but I shake myself, I should be used to staring by now.

Our final, private training sessions are tonight, and I need to be sane and not terribly nervous for that; we get our chakra back and get to show the sponsors what we're really made of. The tributes all receive a score from 1 to 12, and the higher the score we get, the more likely sponsors will provide us with things in the arena. I scan the room left to right and try to guess what each tribute will get.

The haunted boy from 4... an 11.

The beautiful, blonde, sharp looking woman from 11, judging by her superior skill in kenjutsu* and the lightning quick movements she displayed with the tantō at the weapons station... a 10.

The freakishly huge tribute that looks way older than 18 from sector 7 could score an 8 just on strength alone, and who knows what kind of jutsus he had hidden up his sleeve. His district partner could not be a more different story, she has short, black hair and cutting slanted eyes, and she's smaller than even me. She looks like anyone could knock her over just by blowing on her.

But then again, looks aren't everything. Take me, for example.

I watch them take turns trying to camouflage him with paints so that he can blend in with the false bark of a tree, but he's so huge it's fruitless. They seem to recognize that and they can barely containing their laughter. They seem so relaxed and at ease and I wonder how strong they must be if they're not taking training seriously.

"Kurotsuchi, and Akatsuchi," Sasuke says quietly beside me. I look up in surprise, I hadn't known he was there.

"What?" I ask, not understanding.

"Those are their names," he mumbles, just in case someone might be listening in. "I've memorized everyone's names."

I raise my eyebrows, impressed. "What do you think of them?"

"I don't," he says and keeps scanning the room. I guess that's Sasuke's seal of approval... Or, er, disapproval?

"Suigetsu." He nods to the sharp toothed boy, who is currently sparring with a trainer, he must be out of shape or something, because he's dripping with sweat... but then again, he was the one with a huge sword strapped to his back during the reapings... a 9.

"Deidara." He directs my attention to the long haired tribute at the paper bomb station, scoffing at the pre-made bombs... an 11. The crazy ones are always the strong ones.

"Neji and Hinata Hyuga," he says and my gaze drifts to the two fair skinned relatives, their milky eyes are like nothing I've ever seen, and I can't help but wonder what secret powers they hold. They aren't participating at all, they're both just standing off to the sidelines, tribute watching, much like us. I get a sort of "holier-than-thou" aura from them, well, mostly from the male, but then again, they are from sector 1, the wealthiest sector out of all of them. The girl looks incredibly nervous and incredibly afraid, if it weren't for her sector mate guarding her, I'd be afraid for her. The boy looks confident and cool and almost reminds me of sasuke... an 11. Something tells me those eyes of theirs are their ticket to a high score. As for the girl's score... Hell if I know.

"Rock-lee, Ino Yamanaka, and Karin." They're all waiting in line to spar, Ino and Karin talking quietly to themselves. It looks like they've adopted a new ally, the girl from 12 jogs over and joins them in line and I see that, although her hair is a sterling white, just like her sector mate, her teeth are unsharpened and her eyes are a light blue. Other than that, I have no idea what she could be capable of. Their scores could be anything-

My thoughts are interrupted by the sight if Rock Lee sparring with the trainer... I've never seen anyone move so fast, he's basically a green blur as he attacks the poor man. The trainer is an elite, of course, all trainers are. They're the best at what they do, but he he seems to be having trouble keeping up with Rock Lee's raw speed.

He has to hold up a red flag to signal the end of the match; he's sweating profusely and is clutching his side, where it looks like he's been kicked. I'm not the only one watching, it's almost like the whole gymnasium froze to watch. In contrast to the struggling trainer, Rock Lee looks well put together, with his right hand held up, fingers straight and palm diagonal and facing the wall behind me, thumb tucked in... He looks as though he hadn't even started the match.

Rock Lee... an 11.

"Karui and Omoi," Sasuke continues as if nothing had happened. I stare at him incredulously; did he not just see that? When he doesn't meet my eyes I follow his gaze until I find the dark skinned sector partners trying to climb a net. It's the kind that is really rickety and will turn over at the slightest of movements. They don't seem to get that, as they're both trying to climb it at once, bickering the whole way. Karui and Omoi... both 8s.

"Katsuo," Sasuke says quietly and I know exactly who he's talking about. The one 12 year old from sector 11. He's sitting by himself at the edible plants station, paying close attention to what the instructor says. My heart squeezes at the sight. He's so young... I mean all of us are, but him more so than anyone. I remember how he trembled on the stage during their reaping, he was strikingly different from his sector partner, Samui, who obviously wants nothing to do with him. I want to help him somehow, but I know it wouldn't work. It doesn't feel right to rank him, so I don't. I almost feel like he should ally with the silver haired, gangly tribute, Kabuto. Maybe they'd be able to survive longer if they stuck together.

He goes through the rest of the tributes and I rank them all in my head. I must have a grim look on my face after he finishes because he pokes my cheek and chuckles. My first instinct is to distractedly swat his hand away like a fly, but then I realize what he actually did. I look up at him, eyes wide.

"So who do we have to worry about?" he asks, the corner of his mouth turned up in a maddeningly adorable smile. _We_. He said we. Meaning that there's still an alliance with us! I'm so relieved I could cry, I don't want to feel so alone and so desperate ever again.

_"Don't. Trust. The. Uchiha." _Tsunade's words echo through my head.

I ignore them; what does she know anyway? She's never tried to help me before and she's spent 75% of the training drunk! I clear my throat and hope that my face isn't the color of my hair. I go down the list of tributes in my brain and tick them off, "Neji, from sector 1. Gaara, from sector 4. Deidara, from sector 6. And Samui, sector 11." I study Sasuke's face for approval, he nods distractedly, probably studying them.

"There's also Tenten and Rock Lee, but considering how one is an ally and the other is in love with me-"

"We're not allying with them," Sasuke cuts through my sentence.

"What?"

"I don't trust him," he says quietly and I sneak a glance at Naruto, who's pretending to stab himself in the stomach with an elongated samurai knife. He collapses to the floor and addresses a face-palming Tenten.

_"Ten-chan, come closer,"_ he croaks and she cracks a smile.

I can't help but giggle at the scene. "What's not to trust?"

"Haven't you noticed how he looks at you and talks to you?" Sasuke asks, still looking forward nonchalantly, as if scanning the room.

"Wha- no?"

"He wants you to trust him so you'll let your guard down around him. I've seen these guys before, they act goofy and carefree and the next thing you know, their knife is in your back."

Worry flits through me, and I realize I almost don't believe what Sasuke is saying. Do I trust Naruto so much that I would throw away my own ally's advice? Maybe that's exactly what my moody sector partner is talking about.

My stomach churns, unease settling over me.

"And Tenten?" I hiss, afraid they could be listening.

"Allied with him, what do you think?" He says in a critical tone. Okay.

"... Rock Lee?" I'm shooting in the dark now.

"If you really want to, then go ahead," he says and smirks, noting the shivers I get from just thinking about allying with his eyebrows- er with him.

"No, thanks."

...

I find myself studying Naruto and Tenten during lunch. They don't seem like traitorous back-stabbers. It's the same thing over and over again; Naruto does or says something stupid and Tenten admonishes him. I'm surprised Tenten is even sticking close to him. She could have abandoned him just like Karin abandoned Kabuto.

Naruto looks so harmless, with his blue eyes and his silly smile... But maybe that's exactly what he wants me to think. I sit up a little straighter and try to focus on my food, but it's more difficult now knowing that there are two potential enemies sitting right next to me.

I get a shiver down my spine, and I realize I've felt it before. It is! The stare again! Someone is definitely watching us. My glare first cuts to Gaara, surrounded by the other tributes, but he's listening while the boy with the face paint speaks quietly to him.

I don't think it's him.

"You feel it, too?" Tenten asks, looking around. I nod grimly.

"Mm," Sasuke grunts, also searching the dining hall.

"Feel what?" Naruto asks through a mouthful of ramen noodles. All three of us hold up our hands for him to be quiet.

"Guys, come ooon, feel whaat?" He pouts just as the feeling leaves. I wish we had our chakra so I could better sense other suspicious tributes.

"It's gone," Tenten says.

"What is?!" Naruto asks loudly and I want to stomp on his foot.

"Someone was watching us, you idiot." Sasuke laughs a cold, cruel laugh. "You couldn't even tell?"

Naruto's fists clench and he stands up, ready to chew my sector partner out. "Well, you-"

"Naruto, don't," Tenten says calmly and puts a hand on his forearm.

"Sasuke," I say critically; he shouldn't be trying to rile him up like that.

"I'm going back to the room," Sasuke says and stands up abruptly, leaving his food for the avoxes to clean up.

"Eh?! What about the rest of the training session?" I ask, standing up and going after him.

He just raises a hand in dismissal, which I loosely translate into "_Like I'd really need it._"

And so he leaves me alone with the potential enemy. He can be a real jerk, sometimes.

"That guys a real jerk," Naruto says behind me, crossing his arms.

"You can say that again," I grumble.

"That guys a real jerk," he repeats and waggles his eyebrows at me. The bad mood that had been previously hanging down over us breaks up a little with his smile.

"Thanks." I laugh tiredly and sit back down, picking at my food. I understand that we're going to have to find our own food in the arena, and that I'm probably gonna go hungry, but I just can't bring myself to eat.

"Why do you stick around that guy?" Tenten asks me and I open my mouth to answer, but I realize I'm not sure what to say.

"I-, well, we've gone to school together for a really long time-"

"So has everyone here, but you don't see everyone sticking with their partners," Tenten says, taking a drink.

"I mean, he's really strong and he has a pretty good chance of winning-"

"We all have a pretty good chance of winning," Naruto huffs.

"He was the best in my class-"

"Since when does being the best in the class guarantee success? If so, four-eyes over there probably has a one way ticket to Victor's Village," Tenten points out and tilts her head to the table next to us, where Kabuto is sitting, hunched over his food and eating.

Victor's Village is where the victor's from a sector live. There's a village in each sector, and it has about 12 mansions, ready to house any of the victorious tributes. Only two of the mansions are occupied in Sector 3, but I can imagine in Sectors 4 and 5 that they are chalk-full.

"Guys, please. He's my friend," I sigh and my hands drop flat against the table.

"Some friend," Naruto snorts," he just left you alone with the 'potential enemy'." My eyes snap wide and my insides frost over.

"I-what do you mean?" I try not to sound too shocked.

"You guys weren't speaking very quietly," Tenten raises her eyebrows, but continues to grab pieces of sushi and dunk them in soy sauce. Some of it drips onto the table, a deep brown crimson, like old blood.

I'm suddenly painfully aware of this weapons master brandishing two very pointy chopsticks and how large the boy who I don't know if I can really trust is, on the other side of me. it also comes to my attention that I'm trapped between them.

They must sense my fear because they both laugh good-naturedly.

"We're not going to hurt you." Tenten barks a laugh. "After all, we are looking for allies."

"I, but-"

"We know how dear little Sasuke-kun feels about that," the blonde, whiskered tribute says, rolling his eyes.

I sit there, looking at their honest expressions, my mouth flopping open. They had heard us. I want to cover my face and hit my head against the table. I'm so stupid! We're so stupid! They're shinobi, just like us. We should have known they'd hear us.

"Well, why'd you want to ally with me?" I ask, suspicious. These new developments make me even more worried._ So, they're not as innocent as I thought they were._

"Because you're cute-" Naruto says and interrupts himself with a yelp. Tenten had pinched him in the side.

"We need a medic."

"How do you know I'm a medic?" I inquire, surprised and a little bit impressed.

"We saw you practically making love to the healing station with your eyes," Naruto sniggers and receives another pinch to his side. He cries out in pain and rubs his tender skin, "Ten-chan! No fighting outside the arena!"

"Don't be an idiot," we both reprimand at the same time. We both laugh, but it quickly turns awkward and tense when we remember where we are and what we're discussing.

"Anyway, we observed the way you kept an eye on that station, but it wasn't like you were scoping out for a medic yourself, it was like you were jealous," she informs me and I nod appreciatively, admiring her ability to scope someone out.

"And we know you have to be good, otherwise you wouldn't be hiding it," Naruto grins, "so tell me, Sakura-chan, how good are you?"

My face warms and I fidget, "I'm alright."

"How do you rank in the medical sector of your academy?" Tenten asks, deadly serious and I briefly consider lying to them. If they thought I was a crappy medic then maybe I'd be able to get out of an alliance and things wouldn't be so confusing and difficult with Sasuke.

For some reason I don't say "32" or "29" like I had been contemplating on telling them, instead my mouth blurts the truth.

"One."

Tenten whistles in appreciation and Naruto grins widely. "I told ya!" He points a finger at his sector partner. "I told ya she'd be strong!"

My face is probably pinker than my hair at this point. I should have lied. Oh god. I want to cut off my stupid, stupid tongue and paint my face white and slip among the avoxes. No one would notice.

"You did." Tenten smiles at him, and then turns to nudge me, bringing her voice to a whisper, "So, what do you say? Allies?"

My chest is curling in on itself as I think of everyone.

Sasuke: _"Don't trust them. Trust me."_

Naruto and Tenten: _"Don't trust him. Trust us."_

Tsunade: _"Don't trust anyone."_

I can't- I can't make this decision right now. I feel like I want to tear my way out of my skin. I want to trust them, but trusting them is basically a big "screw you" to Sasuke, and I've liked him for so long. I want to trust him, but trusting him... I would lose these two, who've I've grown pretty fond of in the past couple of days. Which is a terrible thing, really, considering how we'll probably all be dead in three or four days.

I've never been faced with a difficult decision like this, and if I ever was, it was in class, and it was all theoretical.

The wrong choice couldn't cause my death.

But now, it can.

* * *

**Question Time!**

_"Suigetsu, what's your stance on nipple tassels?"-Muffins_

"Eh?! What kind of a question is that? My nipples are very sensitive, and plus, those 'tassles' made me look like a stripper! Like I was weak! I swear, if I ever get the chance to get my hands on my stylist..." - Suigetsu

_"Sakura, what do you think of Lee?" Mr. Grimjaw_

"He seems nice, and he's also really strong... I just can't get over his eyebrows." -Sakura

* * *

Thank you for reading! Please review! It helps me keep going. AlSO ASK A CHARACTER A QUESTION!


	9. Chapter 9

Without Sasuke hanging around me during training I feel naked. He was like a cloak, except he wasn't shielding me from everyone's view, he was just showing the other tributes, telling them, "Hey, that pink haired, huge forehead freak isn't alone and helpless."

I still have Naruto and Tenten, but it isn't the same. While Sasuke and I hang in the background, observing, they make a scene and let everyone watch them. I can't tell if this is a part of their master plan.

If they have a plan, that is. What would their plan be, anyway? Make everyone think they're fools and then turn out to be deadly killers? I think that actually happened a couple years ago, but I'm honestly beginning to think that they don't have a plan at all... That they're just being themselves.

Naruto is dangling unceremoniously upside down from the climbing nets, feet looped through the rope and a childish grin on his face while the instructor is reprimanding him for "misusing the equipment", when I feel that gaze again. I calmly turn my head and find the source of the stare: a pair of pearly eyes. It's the girl from Sector 1. She's smiling from behind her sector mate's towering form.

When she catches me staring she averts her gaze quickly and the smile drops away, face red. Why would she be staring at us? And smiling, too? A large crash sounds behind me and everyone in the training center stops what they're doing and looks to the source: Naruto draped over the metal bins filled with protective gear for dueling. He groans and then, I can't believe my ears, he laughs.

Every single shinobi is looking at him with their bloodthirsty eyes and imagining sticking a kunai into his heart and he _laughs_.

"Looks like it's harder to stick when you don't have any chakra," he chuckles and struggles to get up.

Tenten and I round on him, me marching over to him and pulling him from the dented bins and her giving him an earful.

I drop him and smile tightly to the room full of tributes, trainers and sponsors. "Sorry about the disruption, everyone," I say loudly, and I'm surprised by how confident I sound.

"That boy is going to be the first to go," I hear the trainer at our station mutter under his breath and I look down at my idiotic blonde friend, grinning like a mad man up at me and my heart squeezes.

"I certainly hope not," I mumble back and help him up.

Tenten grabs him by his collar as soon as he's standing and launches into another lecture. I'm surprised she hasn't lost her voice by now.

As attention quickly leaves my little group (they're so used to Naruto's antics it doesn't take them long to move on), I find myself looking for the girl from Sector 1. I spot her and her similar looking partner hovering between the healing station and the close-range combat station. Hinata and Neji Hyuga.

He glares around the room with his milky eyes, daring anyone to approach them while she stands close to him, fiddling with her sleeves. He's obviously her protector. Why else would he have volunteered after she was chosen?

l still get a "holier-than-thou" aura from them, but now I can tell by Hinata's longing glances toward us that their isolation isn't her decision. I wonder if she wants to be allied with other people. With us.

I don't know why she would, after all, if her relative is strong enough she basically has a one way ticket to Victor's Village. I watch as her gaze flicks from the back of Neji's head to us. I follow the direction of her eyes.

No. Not us. _Naruto. _The boy is hissing in pain as Tenten drags him along and Hinata's lips tug up into a fond smile. Yep, she's definitely looking at Naruto.

We rotate to the close range combat station and the instructor pulls Tenten and me forward to put protective gear on us. I feel goofy wearing the foam-like plates, but I don't fight it.

As we're paired up with two different elites, I think how funny it is that they go that extra mile to ensure we don't get hurt during training, but the gamemakers go that extra mile to make sure we die.

. . .

"I think you have a secret admirer, Naruto," I whisper to the whiskered tribute as he tries unsuccessfully to tie a butterfly knot - a pointless knot, really, but he wanted to learn. He looks up and blinks in surprise, scanning the room. He passes right over the Hyuga and doesn't notice anything.

"I don't see anyone." Honestly, how the boy made it to becoming a shinobi, I'll never understand.

"She's looking_ right_ at you," I sigh and roll my eyes. He looks at me and his mouth curls into a mischievous smile.

"I see, if you liked me you could have just told me, Sakura-chan," he jeers and waggles his eyebrows.

"Oh. My. God." I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose in irritation. He is so frustrating and thick-skulled that I can now understand why Tenten spends the majority of her time yelling at him.

"It's the girl from Sector 1," Tenten says distractedly as she tries to tackle the knot Sasuke and I had learned on the first day.

I nod and Naruto's blonde eyebrows furrow as he looks back out into the training center. Once again, his gaze drifts right over her. He spends a few more moments scouring the room, blue eyes confused.

"What does she look like, by the way?"

I face-palm and try to contain my frustration. All of my previous worries that he was just playing dumb to get me to trust him have dissipated completely and have been replaced with thoughts more along the lines of, _"Why did I agree to consider an alliance with this boy?"_

. . .

"I'll see you guys later." I wave, heart jumping in my chest. In less than three hours I have my private training session. Tenten and Naruto wave back and head to their elevator. Surprisingly, when I make it to my own I find Tsunade leaning against the wall across from it, arms crossed.

"Sasuke came back before the second training session. Did something happen?" she asks but I don't respond, pushing the button for the elevator. I still remember our argument this morning and the flames of anger are rekindled.

She sighs tiredly. "Princess, I am way too sober for your attitude."

"So you're sober still? Impressive," I muse sarcastically and glare a hole in the shiny elevator door.

"It's a new record," she bites back and I hear her push off the wall and stand next to me.

"What do you want?" I ask in resignation. Another argument with my mentor probably wouldn't be useful at a time like this.

"I want to know if something happened between Sasuke and you."

Did something happen? I don't even know.

"Maybe," I say curtly and enter the opening elevator.

"What kind of an answer is 'maybe'?" Tsunade growls and follows after me, jabbing our level's button.

"The kind of answer given by an unsure teenage girl."

"So you're not being just a stubborn brat? You just don't know if something changed?" Tsunade supplies impatiently. I pretend to weigh my options.

"A little of both, really."

Surprisingly, Tsunade chuckles and the air becomes a little lighter. I'm surprised at how easily something simple like a laugh can ease some of the tension that's twisted between us.

"So what _might_ be going on between you two?" She asks putting an extra emphasis on the "might."

"...Alliance troubles," I say finally.

"What did I tell you about alliances?" She asks and purses her lips, crossing her arms over her large bosom.

"They're not safe," I recite like a schoolgirl.

"That's my girl," she says in mocking fondness and I roll my eyes. "Who are they anyways?"

"Take a wild guess," I say as the door dings and slides open, leading out to the hallway.

"Bun Head, The Whiskered Stupid and Bowl Cut?" She asks and I suppress a laugh at their ridiculous (yet accurate) nicknames.

"He hates them and they hate him," I remark, "I'm afraid to leave them alone with him, because I have no doubt in my mind that they will tie him up, cut off all his beautiful hair and then put a kunai in his heart." We arrive at the door and Tsunade places her hand on a device that scans it and confirms her identity to unlock it. "Or leave me alone because they'd make me drive a kunai in his back." I shudder at the idea.

"These games are messy and bloody enough on their own, kid," she tells me as the door slides open, "you don't need another unnecessary death on your hands."

We make our way through the lush, empty living room and enter the dining room, where dinner should be served soon. No one seems to be anywhere. The only people in sight are the avoxes posted in various spots throughout our floor. They hang their heads and clasp their hands in front of them and I've become so accustomed to their presence I almost consider them part of the furniture. Which is the goal, I'm sure. To dehumanize them.

"Where is everyone?"

"Huh, Sasuke was just in the living room watching non-stop footage of past year's games. The kid's an animal. Taking notes and rewinding and pausing and taking more notes," she shook her head, "I'm telling you, if I had to choose any alliance based off of survival rate, it would be with him."

"But I thought you said to never trust him, and that you would never-"

"If I _had_ to choose. Besides, I wouldn't trust him. I would use him and just kill him when he was caught off guard or sleeping or-," my mentor says way too loud and I clap a hand over her mouth.

"What are you doing?" I hiss, "he could hear you!"

She furrows her blonde eyebrows and shakes her head, as if saying _"no one could get past my detection."_

"You don't know how strong he is," I say softly and remove my hand from her mouth. "Besides," I stand up straighter "he may seem like an animal, but he's a good guy. I trust him."

Even as I say it, I have a bitter taste in my mouth.

"Do you really?" Tsunade asks, raising an eyebrow. "Or are you just trying to convince yourself that you do?"

. . .

Sasuke and I are sitting on the cold metal bench, a thick silence between us. The harsh fluorescent lights buzz overhead and the small waiting room feels cold and hostile. He hasn't said a word to me since we stepped out of the elevator. The timer above the menacing door at the end of our little room glows with a large 14:53. It's the time I have left until it's my turn, since the female tribute goes first. Each tribute is given 10 minutes in their individual training sessions. I watch it as it counts down and try not to flinch at each obnoxiously loud tick.

52.

51.

50.

49.

Why do the female tributes go first?

48.

Why me?

47.

I feel Sasuke shift beside me. Why won't he say anything to me?

46.

Did he overhear Tsunade and I talking about him?

45.

I peek at him, he's leaning against the cold, concrete wall, arms crossed and eyes closed. If it weren't for the minimal creak of his ribs signifying that he's breathing, I'd suspect him to be dead. I wish I could say something to him and start a conversation. Him almost kissing me on the train feels ages ago, but in reality it was only a couple of days. What happened to that?

Why won't he try to kiss me again?

41.

40.

Wait, how could I even be worried about that? I shake myself and grip the metal edge of the bench I'm on. _Get your head in the game, Sakura, you're about to go through a training session that could determine your very survival. _I glare up at the bright blue light. Maybe if I stare at it long enough it will go out and plunge us into darkness.

35.

Maybe if I couldn't see him, I wouldn't think about him.

34.

Okay, that is the worst lie I've ever told myself.

33.

I feel like I'm going to go insane.

32.

The ticking of the glowing clock seems incredibly unnecessary considering how it's a digital clock. All it does is make me grow more and more tense with every tick.

30.

I wonder if this is a tactic they use to make us off our game.

29.

Because oh my god I can't handle this. I want to scream, but instead I jerk my head backwards and feel it connect with the cold concrete. I squeeze my eyes shut and my breaths become shallow and rapid. I'm not ready. I'm not ready.

"Sakura-" I hear Sasuke say next to me.

"I'm not ready!" I shout and my head pounds. From the impact or something else, I don't know.

"Sakura-chan!" He says followed by a clicking sound. Underneath my boiling panic, I feel confused. Sasuke never calls me Sakura-chan. I crack open an eye and see Naruto making his way towards me from the door to the training center lobby. His blue eyes vibrate in excitement and I blink. There's no way he could really be here.

I must have really hit my head hard.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asks, voice like sharp glass. So he's really here? I stand up on wobbly legs and almost fall over as the room spins around me. My chest is ice and my face is numb. Naruto is there to catch me in strong arms before I crumble to the floor.

If I weren't having a full-blown panic attack I'm sure I would be embarrassed.

"Woah, Sakura-chan, what's wrong?" he asks and holds me at arms length and I run a shaky hand down my face.

"I'm just-"

"She's having a panic attack," Sasuke states behind me and I hear him approach us, "give her to me and go back to your own waiting room. You're probably breaking dozens of rules just being in here."

"No, thanks. I think I'll stay," he says stubbornly and spins me around from Sasuke's view. I try to push away from him._ Boys,_ I think distantly.

"Sasuke's right, I'll be fine. Go back to your own room," I whisper, trying to steady my trembling hands.

"You obviously won't be fine like this," Naruto whispers in response and I try to argue back, but I feel myself being guided back to the bench. "And I don't trust that asshole to help." I swear I hear my sector mate growl in response.

"Naruto," I weakly scold him, "don't call him that."

"What?" He glares up at the raven haired tribute, "that's what he is." Pure hatred fills Sasuke's eyes.

"I'm starting to think you really do have a death wish," I mumble and close my eyes.

"Forget about me," the blonde says and squats in front of me, our abrupt close-proximity causing me to open my eyes again. "And forget about him."

The door on the opposite side of the timer cracks open and Tenten pokes her head in. "Naruto, hurry," she hisses, "I don't know why there aren't any guards around, but you shouldn't be taking advantage of the situation like this."

"Just give me a minute," he replies, not taking his eyes off of my face.

"Oh-kay," Tenten sighs and sneaks back to her own room. She's got a valid point though. Where are all of the guards?

"Don't focus on anything but yourself and breathing," Naruto continues as if nothing just happened.

I try my best to do what he's telling me to do. I close my eyes and fill my lungs with air, and then release it. After a couple of deep breaths Naruto speaks up again, "Did you bring a token from home?"

I nod and fish the locket from the crook of my neck underneath my shirt and show it to him.

"Is it from your parents?"

I nod again.

"They would want you to stay strong," he whispers and leans in close to me. "They would want you to kick ass in there and get a good score." My parents' smiling, proud faces flash through my mind.

"Wouldn't they?" he asks and I look up, our eyes meeting.

"They would," I say a little louder, my voice coming back.

My dad would say _"Go get em, kiddo." _

And my mom would say, _"Sakura, who is this cute boy leaning in front of you? Did you finally snag a boyfriend?" _She would have so much confidence in my abilities that she wouldn't even address the training session at all.

Oh, and she's always been curious about my love life, which for the longest time, had been non-existent.

I laugh and more of my nerves unwind. I've been avoiding thinking of them and Ayumi and Shizune. I thought that bringing them to mind would just distract me, but now I realize I _need_ to think of them.

After all, I'm trying to win for them.

As my resolve comes back and hardens, I feel my breathing slow and my trembling limbs still. I look up at the timer and see that I have still have 12 minutes left. I don't know if I'm grateful or annoyed.

"Okay, now go," Sasuke says and settles down next to me. He closes his eyes and leans back against the wall.

"Do you feel better?" Naruto ignores him and asks me, gathering my hands in his own. I'm surprised by the tender contact and will myself not to blush.

"I do," I say and give his hands a squeeze. "Thank you."

He smiles a brilliant smile and makes the room feel a little less cold.

"Anytime," he replies but makes no move to leave. Instead he looks down at our joinedhands and I do, too. His hands are warm, tan and calloused against my pale softness. He moves a thumb across my knuckles and his touch sends tingles up my arms.

What is happening?

"You can do this. And know that I'm here for you," he says with a tenderness that I didn't know this brazen boy could ever contain. I can't find any words to respond, so instead I place a light kiss on one of his knuckles.

He blinks in disbelief as I pull away, but quickly his expression morphs into one of pure joy, a blush tinging his cheeks.

"_Naruto!"_ Tenten whisper shouts at him after she cracks open the door again. Our hands jerk apart and we look like two preteens caught doing something much more naughty than holding hands. "Let's _go_!"

He salutes and I wave sadly as he sneaks out the door, my sunshine leaving the room.

I look up at the clock and a daunting 10:43 glows in red. Naruto made me feel loads better, but now I have another 10 minutes to lose my confidence again.

As my good mood slowly decreases I become increasingly more aware of Sasuke's silent hostility. He's really unhappy with Naruto's spontaneous meeting with me.

"What is your plan?" I blurt and he shows no sign of hearing me. I flounder in the silence, "I mean, to impress the gamemakers and sponsors?"

The side of his mouth turns up into a half smirk and he responds without opening his eyes, "What is _your _plan?"

My mouth hangs open, unsure. I'm not unsure of what I'm doing to impress them. I know what I'm doing. I'm unsure of whether or not I want to tell him.

"I..." is all that leaves my mouth and I look down.

"Exactly," he says and opens his eyes to look at me pointedly. "Why would I tell you?"

I look at him in shock and my stomach drops. "I- we're allies?" I croak.

"I thought you were allied with Eyebrows and the tributes from sector 3?" He asks and I grip the end of my shirt.

"We never made it an official thing," I say too loudly. I'm overcompensating for my inward panicking.

"And are you going to?" Sasuke glares at me and I suppress a shudder. "I am not forming an alliance with that idiot." Which basically, in Sasuke language, means "It's either him or me."

Here it is. The choice I never wanted to make. It should be a no-brainer. I should throw my nose in the air and profess my loyalty to Naruto and Tenten. I don't know why I can't. I grip the metal edge of the bench even tighter now and I bite my lip.

This- this is the boy who I watched in the hallways and was the subject for many of the lunch gossiping sessions. This is the boy who I've loved since I was 12. This is the boy who is top of the class and got a 31 on his last exam. This is the boy who told me he loved my hair and almost kissed me.

He's so strong and handsome and determined. I don't want to be against him. I don't want him to be against me. I realize that if the games really did end up with just the two of us that that's how it would be, but I don't want to dwell on that.

"They're my friends and I don't want to hurt them," is all I say. Genius.

"They're going to die anyway," Sasuke says and I wince. Like I said, I don't like dwelling on the end of these games.

"I just... I don't want us to be the ones to kill them," I say and a small part of me in the back of my head is screaming at me, _"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, YOU IDIOT?!" _

The semi-rational side of me has taken over, the Sakura who listens to her mentor's semi-rational words of advice:

_"I'm telling you, if I had to choose any alliance based off of survival rate, it would be with him. Besides, I wouldn't have to trust him. I would use him just kill him when he was caught off guard or sleeping or-."_

If I were to be completely rational, I would listen to my mentor's other, completely rational advice:

_"Don't trust him, don't form an alliance with him. Don't form an alliance with anyone."_

You know, now that I think about it, she isn't a very consistent mentor. I'm blaming it on the alcohol. And maybe a bipolar disorder.

"Alright." Sasuke nods after some deliberating. "Even though I'd really enjoy slitting his throat." His words send a shudder through me and the image of Sasuke doing just that from my nightmare flashes through my head.

"Okay," I say and swallow.

"Okay." He leans back.

"Okay?" I ask, a little confused. Does this mean we're allies now?

"Okay." He repeats and crosses his arms.

I don't respond again, I just find myself staring up at the buzzing blue light again. Dread fills me and I try to push it down._ At least I got one blood-thirsty shinobi off of Naruto's back. _I think to myself dryly, trying to look at the good side of not allying with Naruto Uzumaki.

With a growing sense of doom I watch as the timer counts down from it's last minute. In a last effort to regain some of the confidence I was given from Naruto, I fumble for my necklace and press it to my lips. I think of my parents and friends.

"_Don't forget your healing,_" Shizune would say, _"This may be a contest to kill one another, but knowing how to heal well makes you valuable to other tributes, and therefore, sponsors." _

"_GO IN THERE AND KICK SOME ASS, SAKURA!"_ Ayumi would say. My mom would scold her for using such language and my dad would nod in agreement, but then he would turn right around and say the exact same thing. Just a bit quieter.

The longer I think of them, the more I can hear them and feel them with me now. I smile and take a few breaths, sure that Sasuke wouldn't be able to calm me down like Naruto did if I had another panic attack.

"_Sakura Haruno, Sector 2,"_ The automated voice says just as the timer hits 0:00. I look up in surprise, it's been 10 minutes? I set my mouth in a tight line and stand up, hardening my resolve. My heart pounds in excitement and nervousness.

I crack my knuckles and head towards the door.

_I can do this._

* * *

_A/N: Hey guys. Sorry about the long wait, but I just graduated and now I hope I'll have more time to write and focus on my stories! Please review and let me know what you think. _

* * *

_**Question time!**_

"_Kakashi, do you think Sasuke and Sakura have any chance of winning?" -The Lynx Wearing Eyeliner_

"I fully believe Sasuke has the potential to be the victor, but he's overly-confident and has tough competition. Those are two pretty bad combinations. Sakura, on the other hand, may not have what it takes to kill; it's a kill or be killed game." -Kakashi

"_Naruto, if you're going to be allies with Sakura, would you kill her in the end so you will win, or you will spare her and give up your life? :)" -Izzy10328_

"Eh?! What kind of a question is that? I wouldn't even blink, I would slit my own throat! I may want to win this game, but not if it means losing her." -Naruto

"_Sasuke how do u feel about Sakura?" -Clarissa_

"... Like I'm going to tell you that, tsk." -Sasuke

"_You notice how Sakura (Sector 3) is always staring at you, right?" -Shizuneeee_

"She's of no concern to me. She's a little girl trapped in a game that will lead to her demise." -Gaara


	10. Chapter 10

As soon as I enter the training center my eyes close in on the one station that I have yet to go to: the healing station. Although every fiber of my being is drawn to it, I know I have to save it for later. I confidently cross to the weapons station, hands balled into fists.

Laughter erupts from the raised stands around the gymnasium that hold the game makers and sponsors. I look up, confused as to what they're laughing at. To add to my confusion, they're not laughing at some joke one of the game makers said or even mocking a poor Avox; they're looking at me.

What are they laughing at? My face burns and I stop, looking down at myself. Did I forget pants? As soon as I stop someone crashes into me from behind.

"It seems as though you've forgotten your lack of chakra," one of the game makers shouts from his cushy seat and everyone chuckles. I turn around and hold my hands out in a defensive position, not processing the older man's words. Instead of the blank mask of an ANBU, I come face to face with a trembling, pale Avox holding a remote. My tense stance melts in relief, but I look at the boy in confusion. He sheepishly points to the remote and everything clicks.

"Shiori-san," a deep voice cuts through the snorting laughter, "it's easy to forget such a thing when the person who's trying to restore your chakra has had their tongue cut out." The laughter ceases and I look up at the source of the voice. I'm surprised to see it came from the head game maker, Itachi Uchiha. He nods for the Avox to continue and then makes eye contact with me.

My stomach is doing flips as a high pitched ringing fills the room, similar to the sound of when I first received the chakra controller. If my stomach is flipping from the anticipation of having all of my chakra back or from the intense gaze staring right into my eyes, I don't know.

I try not to break eye contact or show my fear, instead I bow in thanks and say, "Thank you for your patience. I was unaware he was there." As an afterthought I smile and say "I was just so excited to show you all what I could do."

A few of them smile and nod appreciatively, except for the Uchiha, who continues to study me with his coal black eyes. His intense gaze reminds me of someone else and I shiver, finally looking away.

The ringing stops abruptly and a real smiles takes over my lips. I feel my chakra flowing through my veins; it bursts from my center like a dam breaking. I resist the urge to smash my chakra enhanced fist into the wall and scream "HELL YEAH!"

I force myself to concentrate on the task at hand. First I bow to the Avox and smile a thank you, who looks stunned at such a gesture. As he scurries away, I center in on the weapons and select an assortment of kunai and throwing stars. I put them in the pouch they gave me with the uniform. I can feel all of their eyes on me and I know that I have to keep them here if I want to get a good score.

I line myself up in front of the human-like targets and close my eyes, breathing deeply. It's been a while since I've had to do this. If I try hard enough, I can imagine that I'm back at the academy, just taking another test.

Breathing out, I snap open my eyes and launch the first kunai at a hanging target and it lands with a satisfying thump. Dozens of thumps continue as I send the stars and kunai flying toward their targets. I make almost every single one of them in the heart or the head, but the odd star whizzes past its target on a miscalculation. I try not to let them get to me, after all, I'm not a weapon's specialist. I'm not crazy good like Tenten.

My pouch is empty and my chest heaving when I look up at the gamemakers, who are nodding at me in approval, a few are muttering silently to themselves. But of course, almost every Shinobi is expected to be able to do that, so I'm sure they'll see a lot of accurate target practice.

So now I need something to set me apart from the others.

My heart soars as I leave the weapons station behind and walk to the healing station, which is one of the only station flanked with instructors. Yes, finally, I think to myself, I can show them what I can really do.

When I arrive there an elderly woman looks at me expectantly. My eyebrows furrow and I look around, not seeing anyone to heal. How does this station even work?

"Hello," she says and I look up and meet her gaze, "are you going to be healing someone this afternoon?"

Um, no, I'm just standing here to be observed by a bunch of milky-eyed medics while I'm supposed to be kicking ass and getting a good score. "Yes, please."

She nods and motions to an Avox in front of a control panel, who presses a couple of buttons and a door on the far side of the gymnasium opens, revealing another Avox pushing a long table with a blanket over it.

When it gets closer I see that it's a human form beneath the white sheet and it looks like it's writhing in pain. My excitement disappears and dread fills my stomach. The closer they get the more blood I see and more pain filled groaning I hear. The closer they get the less I want to be here.

I try to smile at the Avox as she wheels the operating table in front of me.

"We're here to oversee your healing and determine your ranking as a medical-nin," one of the younger men says, "since gamemakers often don't know what to look for in terms of medics."

"Okay," I say steadily and swallow, lifting back the sheet with a hand that I'm sure would be shaking if my ANBU switch wasn't on. I pull the sheet all the way down the man's torso and fold it over his legs and my lungs go cold, I've never seen a human being in such terrible shape: deep gashes interrupt the dirt-caked skin over his chest, they ooze blood and pus, they're obviously infected. His hair is caked in blood and dirt and I can't even tell what color it is. His eyes are swollen and purple and his lips are blue, like he's not receiving enough oxygen. An inflamed rash takes over the left half of his body, and I wonder if he's been dipped in poison ivy.

These are not natural wounds, these wounds were inflicted. I do a quick scan of his vital organs and bones and notice that several of his ribs are cracked or broken. Thankfully his legs and lower regions are unscathed, but fury still floods through me and only one thought crosses through my mind: _they did this to him._

I lean down to whisper in his ear, away from the prying eyes of the sponsors and the capitol medics. "My name is Sakura and I'm here to help you. Please trust that you will feel better momentarily." My heart squeezes when the man turns his head towards me, trying to see me through his swollen shut eyes. He nods and a wordless sob escapes his throat. I lean back as a new realization hits me: he's had his tongue cut out.

He's a servant to the Capitol and this is what they do to him. An angry resolve settles through me: I will make him well again. I will make him more than well. I tie my hair up and forget all about scores and good impressions and sponsors and raven haired boys.

I breathe deeply, focus my chakra to my hands, and get to work. The green glow of my healing comforts my furious state of mind and I easily fall back into the rhythm of flushing wounds clean and stitching the muscles and skin back together with only my chakra. I seep into one of his deeper wounds and he hisses in pain.

"I'm sorry, I know it hurts, but please keep still," I whisper to him and delve deeper into his wound. I'm shocked to find poison lurking within this one. _Oh, no. If it gets into his bloodstream..._

I look around the station with a new sense of urgency and find a cabinet full of supplies. I rummage around for a sterile looking bowl and fill it up in a sink. _By infusing the water with my own chakra_, I think to myself as I stick my glowing hand glowing hand into the bowl, _I will be able to manipulate the shape of the water and how it acts_, I carry the bowl over to my patient, _and successfully remove the poisons from his wounds. _It should work in theory, but I've never done it myself. I only watched Shizune-sensei perform this cleansing jutsu on one of our troops, who had run into some nasty rebels who knew a thing or two about human bodies and how to destroy them from the inside out.

I helped, of course, but doing it myself is different. And alone is a whole other scenario. Shizune had three or four students helping her. There's only me here. I don't think I'll ever concentrate my chakra so hard ever again in my life as I place my palm on the surface of the water and focus on the tension that keeps the molecules together. _It's just like walking on water,_ I reassure myself and lift my hand, carrying an orb of water with it. I smile triumphantly and thank the gods for my unconventionally superb chakra control.

"This is going to hurt," I whisper to him, "but you have a nasty poison that I need to extract. Please be as still as you can." He nods through gritted teeth and I try to gently weave the water into the lesion. Almost immediately a wordless cry explodes from his mouth and he thrashes on the table. I try to hold him down and I look toward the other medics for help. The younger man just looks at me sadly and shakes his head. Oh, so they're not allowed to help or interfere. Lovely.

I enhance my muscles with chakra and hold him down, "Please! You must be still!" He breathes heavily and cries, but manages to nod.

With my left arm across his torso, restraining him, and my right hand pushes the water into his wound. He struggles, but my extreme strength manages to keep him down.

I close my eyes and focus on the water probing inside of his injury. Finding the black cloud trying to seep into his lungs, I manipulate the water, drawing the poison from the cells and absorbing the offensive liquid. After reinforcing my steel strong hold on my patient, I slowly pull the liquid out through his wound, along with the black mass of poison. Another guttural cry rips through the gymnasium and I hear the sponsors mutter in distaste. _Oh I'm sorry for interrupting your evening, which is disguised to be for the tributes, but instead is obviously for eating roast pig until you drop and slapping each other on the backs for another year of being old, fat, and corrupt._

I release the liquid into the sink and go back to the sweating, whimpering man. "I'm sorry this is happening to you, but please let me check your other vital organs for the poison."

Thankfully, the rest of his vital organs are clear. That seemed to be the only trace of poison anywhere.

"The hardest part is over," I whisper in his ear. "Please hold on for a bit longer." I quickly heal the rest of the cuts across his chest and mend his broken ribs. I move to the rash on the side of his body and under closer inspection, I find that my initial assumption was correct; it's just a simple poison ivy rash.

I remembering seeing herbs and a healthy amount of plants in the back of the cupboard underneath a warming light. I inform him that I'll be right back and I quickly get to work making a remedy. As I ground up stems from an aloe plant and the leaves from a jewelweed, I remember a trick Shizune-sensei had taught me. Infusing the final gel with my chakra will help soothe the pain more effectively and quicken the healing process.

"This should help with the itchiness and the burning," I say and delicately apply the appropriate amounts of the gel to all spots where the inflammation lurks. He sighs in relief and a small smile tugs up my lips. He's only going to get better from here.

As I close up the smaller wounds and wash away the blood with a washcloth I notice that he's starting to look more like a normal human being. I move onto his face now, mending his nose that I hadn't realized was broken. I grit my teeth in anger, why couldn't they spare him at least _something? _I heal the cut on his lip and move onto his black eyes, which are trickier, since the nerves around the eyes are much more delicate. Thankfully, the swelling has decreased and he's able to open his eyes. As he watches me work on his face, his green eyes give me more thanks than any words could. I work on giving the skin around his eyelids a more healthy coloring and patching up anything I missed, wiping up any caked on blood and rolling him gently onto his back to close up what I can only suspect are whiplash marks.

When he's back on his back, sighing in relief, I remember my promise: I will make him more than well.

I know I will have to do this quickly and without alarming the medics, so I pretend to do one final check up. I have him open his mouth with an "ahhh," he reluctantly does so and I try not to wince at what I see. The sight of a singed off tongue is enough to make a normal human puke, but I'm Sakura Haruno, first in my class for Medical Ninjutsu, and dammit I will be professional!

"Okay," I say loudly enough that those around can hear, "No infections or missing teeth." I say nonchalantly, like I'm going through a mental check list. "Leave your mouth open," I whisper, barely audible to even myself. He does as I say, a confused look in his eye. I pretend to check his vitals and open his eyes with my left hand, while my right hand stays partially covering the side of his mouth. "Eyes look good, reactions are normal." As I'm doing this, a sliver of chakra is slipping into his mouth and weaving through the slit of tongue he has left, studying the overall muscle structure and each individual tendon.

When I said I would never focus my chakra so hard in my life again, I was lying. This is the most I will ever focus my chakra. I guide his forehead down to "inspect" any abrasions on his scalp, giving my palm more access to his slightly cracked mouth. If any of the medics think my hand placement is suspicious, I can't tell in their body language or eyes. More chakra floods in and I try to make it seem as though as I'm honestly looking for cuts on his head, but in reality I'm memorizing the pattern of his tongue, down to each taste bud.

Rebuilding muscle is nothing new with medical ninjutsu, in fact, it's the most basic form of healing, how else would we close wounds without seaming it together with new muscle that had originally been lost? The tongue is essentially one big muscle, so all I have to do is solve the puzzle by making the missing puzzle pieces. What strand of muscle goes where, and which nerves connect to them?

I try to refabricate some, but I don't have enough chakra and my attempt falls flat. He grunts in surprise. He probably feels a light, tingling pinch. I wonder if he knows what I'm attempting. I pretend to check his lymph nodes after his scalp is all clear, massaging the area below his jaw. I've worked in some strange conditions, but I have never performed a surgical procedure through skin and bone. My chakra trickles through his cells and into his mouth and I'm relieved to find that with both hands on the project, even with a wall of flesh separating me from the subject, it should be much easier.

Now my hands are cupping his face and my eyes are boring into his. I'm sure he knows what I'm doing, they're wide with panic and disbelief.

I get to work solving the puzzle of his tongue, building the new cells and weaving them together to form tendons and fleshing everything out. Halfway through the procedure, part of me wants to throttle myself for trying this, even Shizune-sensei herself would have trouble with this task. Maybe I am in over my head, but it's too late to back down now. I can't just leave this teenage boy with a half-fabricated tongue, it'd probably fall out.

"Everything seems to be in order," I mutter like a busy, professional medic-nin and my eyes sweep over his face, apparently taking one last study, but in reality I'm carefully and rapidly connecting nerves and strands of muscle, narrowing the shape to a smooth nub. Once I check his tongue as a whole with my chakra, he moves it for the first time, rolling it and rubbing it against his teeth. I pull away from him, hands disconnecting from my place on his jaws and he looks torn between being elated and being afraid.

As a last thought, I wring out a new, clean washcloth I wash the blood and grime from his hair. Hopefully comforting him. I'm surprised to see his hair is orange, like the color of carrots. It's basically as rare as my hair color. I run a hand through it and whisper, "Thank you for letting me heal you, you _don't need to thank me_." Or in other words:_ don't speak._

Tears fill his forest green eyes and he's carted away. I wave weakly and the good feeling that comes with successfully healing a patient evaporates. Where are they taking him? What will be done with him? And more importantly would giving him a tongue just get him in more trouble? The medics trail after him, walking surely and quickly. The walk of professionals. No one will check for his tongue, will they? They'll probably survey how well I did now and give me a score. Yes. That's all they'll do. Exhaustion settles over me and I can physically feel my loss of chakra. Healing someone that messed up wouldn't leave me without repercussions and especially giving someone a new tongue would drain me mentally and physically.

I send a silent prayer up to whomever is listening that they won't find his newly revamped muscle. Now that I stop and think I can't tell if I've saved him or doomed him. What have I done? I don't know the conditions of how he lives. I might have just killed him, or subjected him to more brutal torture. I try to help someone and this is what happens. I resist the urge to run after him, crying and screaming "I'm so sorry! Just don't open your mouth! Ever!"

I'm losing control and I can tell, a quick glance up the glowing numbers above the game makers tells me that I still have four minutes left. Well, I can still seal the deal for good sponsors in four minutes, right?

I turn back to the raised stands and know immediately that I'm in trouble. Healing him only took me about 10 minutes, but that was way too long for their attention spans. Most of their backs are turned towards me as they laugh and drink. The view of their expansive, purple clad backs makes my angry energy come back.

I had taken into account their boredom, but I didn't plan for them to forget my existence completely! Letting my long, blossom colored hair down and shaking it out, I make my way over to the sparring station. Two elites stand, one with a scar down the side of his face and the other with the tattoo of a dragon on his bald hand, hands clasped behind their backs. They look pretty tough. Perfect. Four minutes will be plenty of time.

"Fight me," is all I say, and they look at eachother. I wonder what they're thinking._ A little, pink haired girl wants to get beaten up. _"Fight me!" I shout again and they seem to converse through eye contact. I'm busy wondering what they're going to say when they launch themselves at me, a mass of flying feet and fists. _They're fast,_ I think as I dodge punch after punch.

Luckily, dodging is something I can do without even putting much thought into it, after all, as a medic-nin, I was taught that I'm useless if I get hurt. My job is to stay safe, stay healthy and stay out of harm's way so that I can help those who get into the thick of things. But now it's just me, and now I'm going to be on the offensive!

The elite with a tattoo on his head throws a punch that I dodge just in the nick of time, I grab his arm, and with chakra enhanced strength, throw him away from me. He flies through the air and smashes into the concrete wall, caught off guard by my impressive strength. The other man is relentless with his attacks; he's so consistent and fast that I can't find an opening. The only way to fight a shinobi like him is to outlast them. Make them tired and sluggish and when they get sloppy and leave an opening, go in for the kill. Well metaphorical kill in this case... but that won't be the case soon.

I sense someone behind me and I duck to the ground, successfully avoiding a high powered kick that collides into Scar Face's face. He's knocked away and I grin mischievously at Tattoo, "Thanks for that."

He doesn't reciprocate my attempts at witty mid-battle banter, he just charges me again and I handspring backward. Tattoo gets to a standing position, nose bleeding and eye beginning to swell shut. He charges also and they pelt me with half-powered punches and by the time I realize what they're doing it's too late: they're cornering me. The ox-like men have successfully herded me into a concrete corner of the gymnasium and I look desperately for an escape. There's nothing to grab onto and they're too close together, making an intimidating wall of elite.

"Surrender now," the one with the scar grumbles, nose dripping with blood and looking absolutely pathetic.

"We don't want to hurt you," Tattoo agrees. I back into my corner and look towards the sponsors and gamemakers and I'm surprised to find them all watching eagerly. "Just put your hand up to signify your surrender and we can end this without anyone getting hurt."

"Why are you being so merciful?" I ask in suspicion, not trusting their tone. I have to make my next decision carefully, I have the attention of every single person in the gymnasium, and what I do now can mean life or death out in the arena.

"We don't like to hurt girls," Scar says and Tattoo nods in agreement. "It's not right to pick on the weaker gender."

My blood boils but I try to keep my head cool. _It looks like I'm stuck,_ I think to myself. Not seeing any other option, I grit my teeth and raise my hand in the air.

"Thatta girl," one of them chuckles right before my raised hand forms into a fist and is brought down, slamming into the concrete ground. The floor crumples beneath them and they shout in surprise as they're immersed in a tidal wave of debris. After the dust and chunks of concrete settle I climb smoothly over the extent of my damage, kicking smaller chunks of flooring into the trapped elites' faces. I smile as Scar-Face coughs and tries to blink the dust out of his eyes.

"What were you saying about a 'weaker gender'?"

They just gape at me as I climb over the rest of the rubble. The gym is completely silent as I bow in front of the sponsors. "Thank you for your consideration."

The loud beating of my heart and the high pitched ringing of my chakra being taken away is the only thing I hear as I make my way to the exit.

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_A/n: Whoo! I really enjoyed writing this, let me tell you. I love badass Sakura so much. A lot of you are like "I JUST WANT THE FIGHTING BRING ON THE FIGHTING LETS_ GOOOO"_ and man I want the fighting too! But there are things that I need to write before the games actually start, but think of it this way: one more day and then she's in the games! BOOM._

_Also I know this is an early update, I just want to let you know that in 28 days I'll be going to Italy for three weeks, so I'm hoping that I'll get in one more chapter before I go... Of BOTH fics. But if that doesn't happen please be patient. I'm not dead or anything._

_Although I have to say that at this point I'm really excited for this story and I want to see how it unravels... the thing is is that I want to read it man I don't want to WRITE it. U feel me? But there's no story like this really. And the way I see it if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. ….However frustrating your lack of knowledge of fight scenes are. _

_So I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! I hope you thought the fight scene was okay (FIRST ONE WOOO). I love you guys! Please review!_

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**Question Time!**

_"Naruto: IF, and only IF, Sakura died and ask you a favor not to kill Sasuke will you? But then you and Sasuke are the only one left, and you have to make a choice." -Voice of Distant Thoughts_

"Oh... That bastard- I... Um... I would... CRAP! I don't kno- WAIT! I do know. I'll just keep Sakura alive! That is my promise!" -Naruto

_"To Gaara: What do you think about the games?" -MintyBunny_

"They're pitiful, drawn out, and needlessly complicated." -Gaara

_"Naruto do you think you can take Sasuke in a 1v1 fight?" -Zatheko_

"Eh?! What kind of a question is that?! Of course I can take him one on one! That asshole is all bark and no bite!" - Naruto

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_Also last thing. this story is NARUSAKU. NARUSAKU! NARRRUUUUSAKKUUUUU U ! there's a reason for everything I write. Please trust me as an author and a Narusaku shipper._


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